BAGHDAD: Iraq’s southern province of Basra was once dubbed the “Venice of the East” because of its many canals. Iraq’s two rivers — the Tigris and the Euphrates — have nourished civilizations since antiquity.
But the region is now suffering from a water crisis so severe that once-fertile land has been turned into desert and tap water is too salty and polluted even for washing.
Upstream dams in Turkey, Syria and Iran have shrunk the rivers and their tributaries, seasonal rainfall has dropped and infrastructure has fallen into disrepair.
The result is an acute lack of freshwater that has allowed a salty tide from the nearby Arabian Gulf to advance north and seep into once-lush farmland.
The crisis has also contributed to violent protests across the oil-rich region last month.
Water crisis salts the earth in Iraq’s long-neglected south
Water crisis salts the earth in Iraq’s long-neglected south
- Iraq’s southern province of Basra was once dubbed the “Venice of the East” because of its many canals
- Upstream dams in Turkey, Syria and Iran have shrunk the rivers and their tributaries
