salty drainage water that is dumped back into the rivers. This causes the water quality
to depreciate downstream. Nevertheless, the marshes are hardy and the reeds of the
marshes are a versatile plant that can even grow in a brackish environment. However,
less hardy species such as frogs, fish, birds, and other flora and fauna are not capable
of withstanding the changes and, as a result, the biodiversity of southern Iraq is
changing as nature adapts to the changed flow system and water quality.
The way forward for the marshes and the Marsh Arabs, if they are to be preserved
for future generations, depends on the nations sharing the waters of the Tigris and
Euphrates. They must work together to modernize irrigation techniques and agree to
an equitable system of water usage and distribution. This is needed not just to save the
marshes, but to save agriculture and to promote regional cooperation.
The water resources issue, if viewed as a competition, will cause increased political
tensions, when in fact it can be used as a tool to promote cooperation and mutual
benefits. Solutions exist but they require thinking outside the box. Personally, as an
activist who has worked on the restoration of the marshes and the protection of the
cultural heritage of Iraq, I am hopeful that the marshes of southern Iraq and the culture
they spawned will last well into the future. Even if the countries upstream do not
cooperate, I predict the death of agriculture in Iraq (due to salinization) before the
marshes are dried again. Moreover, given that the lifetime of dams is only 200 years,
it is but a blink of an eye in geological terms. Watching the powers of nature in action
over the last eight years, I am awed by its power and ability to adapt.
–– Postscript ––