Printed On 29 Apr 2026
A fishing boat glides throughout the waters of Iraq’s southern marshes, sending ripples shimmering over the once-parched wetlands, now revived by long-awaited rains.
Operating via virtually your complete Huwaizah Marshes, the returning water is dotted with patches of greenery, with buffaloes soaking in it or wandering slowly close by, grazing on the luxurious grass.
Overhead, birds of many sorts flutter, their actions mirrored within the nonetheless water under, a part of the protected biodiversity of those millennia-old Mesopotamian wetlands.
Years of drought, blamed on local weather change and upstream dams in neighbouring international locations, have ravaged Iraq’s marshes – the reputed residence of the biblical Backyard of Eden – nestled between the mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
However a couple of wet spells this winter have revived hope amongst residents and admirers alike.
As he sailed his lengthy wood boat, carrying his white abaya and keffiyeh, fisherman Kazem Kasid instructed the AFP information company that “life will return, together with the fish and livestock, and folks will really feel that their homeland and future have been restored”.
Iraq’s Water Ministry has stated the reservoirs on the Tigris River are virtually full, including that it expects water ranges within the Euphrates to rise within the coming days if Syria releases water from its dams.
Consequently, the marshlands are experiencing “a relative revival”.
Activist Ahmed Saleh Neema stated the Huwaizah Marsh has not seen this a lot water in years, including that 85 % of the wetlands are actually submerged, although the water depth nonetheless must rise.
“It’s good. It implies that the marshes is not going to dry this summer time,” when temperatures attain 50C.
