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Wed, 10 Feb 2010 | 11:55 GMT
Wed, Feb 10, 2010, 11:55 GMT
 

Kuwait: Reviving the Wetlands; We have a pulse

 Arab Times
 
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17 June 2005
Kuwait - Almost a year after launching the Iraqi Marshland Restoration Project, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is still in the midst of data collection and coordination, but organizers are confident that in time the project will bring about positive changes in a degenerating ecosystem. "The project brings environmental relief to the marshland communities concerned," UNEP Project Coordinator Chizuru Aoki told the Arab Times. "It identifies environmentally sound options that can be implemented widely in Iraq, by the Iraqis themselves in the long term," she continues."In terms of our ultimate goal...we want to make some tangible contributions to the long term sustainability of the Iraqi marshes," says Aoki.

But she says that this process takes an indeterminate amount of time, as it requires intense research and a united front."We need mechanisms to ensure actions that take place...occur with domestic and donor coordination," she maintains.The Iraqi Wetlands once covered an area between 15,000 to 20,000 square kilometers, constituting the largest ecosystem of its type in the Middle East. According to the UNEP, it is home to 11 globally threatened species of birds, and three globally threatened mammals. It has also historically been a migratory hub for two thirds of West Asia's wintering fowl."It supports a fragile ecosystem," says Aoki. "Rich biodiversities...and even fisheries down stream."This unique ecosystem is the century old home for the culturally celebrated ethnic group known as the Marsh Arabs.

European explorers such as Wilfred Thesiger glorified the Marsh Arabs for their simplistic and tribal way of life, and the harmony they achieved with their natural surroundings."Memories of that first visit to the marshes have never left me: firelight on a half-turned face, the crying of geese...a boy's voice singing somewhere in the dark...narrow waterways that wound still deeper..." (From The Marsh Arabs, Thesiger 1964)In the last two decades these marshes have been severely drained and cut off from their natural water supply, the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. They now are at less than a third of their initial size.The most serious damage was caused by the periodical execution of dams along the Euphrates in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq over the last twenty years.

But Saddam Hussein pulled the final plug in the early Nineties with a government project involving a series of dams and levies that directly diverted the flow of the two rivers away from the marshes.The Iraqi government claimed at the time the project was for agricultural purposes, however skeptics have suggested that the real intent was to flush out the many Shi'ite rebels who were hiding in the tall reeds during the aftermath of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.While most of the Marsh Arabs and the wildlife of the region have been forced to leave their ancient homes, some communities have managed to sustain themselves in what is left of the wetland region.

After the fall of Hussein's government, many of them took matters into their own hands, and demanded that the government reopen the dams and re-flood the marshes.And despite the haste of this re-flooding, 30-50% of the marshes may already be on their way towards rehabilitation "I haven't seen any evidence that indicates that the region where they did that [re-flooding] has resulted in degradation," says Aoki. However, the current water flow to these re-flooded areas is a trickle compared to times before the dams were built, resulting in mounting levels of sodium and pollution. Aoki says that these communities may not able to sustain themselves in the future, and they may require further restorative action.

"I don't think anybody knows for sure," she says. "There isn't enough data."In collaboration with other involved organizations such as the Iraq Foundation, Aoki and the UNEP hope to bring relief to these deteriorating communities by improving the water quality and sanitation in the areas, as well as by bringing marshland management tools and skills to the people.Aoki says, however, the UNEP cannot operate on the same swift route that the Iraqis took, as on a global scale it is more difficult to prioritize objectives. "One of the first things we did was have the roundtable back in September," says Aoki. "Parallel to that there have been donation coordinator meetings."

The UNEP has also designed methods of coordination on the national and local level.For example, the UNEP has created the Marshland Information Network (MIN), an Internet based forum for stakeholders and donors alike to discuss restoration strategies as well as access informational tools and resources.Explicitly on the national level, the UNEP has set up a Project Implementation Unit (PIU), an Iraqi run unit with the large task of facilitating dialogue between the local, national, and international level groups involved in restoration. "With a network of people, it (the PIU) can identify potential partners within Iraq," Aoki says, adding that the more coordination that takes place between various stakeholders, the faster and more effective the restoration process will be.

She feels it is particularly important to involve local communities in the process. "Any of major meetings so far have always involved local communities," she says. "Local sheikhs give their opinions and priorities."At this point, these coordination talks have led to the decision for six pilot projects to be implemented at several distinct locations within Southern Iraq.Funded by the Japanese government, these pilot projects will test the success of various Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) that will be implemented according to each location's immediate and long-term social and environmental needs.

It is the first step in the UNEP's larger plan for marshland restoration in Iraq. RecreateMembers hope that the pilot series will service local needs, as a starting point for the UNEP's wider aim of reviving the decaying ecosystem and allowing its historical inhabitants to return. "At local level people may have more specific needs, anything from mosquito nets to clean water," says Aoki. "It's different to prioritize than at the national level." The six sites, under the Thi-Qaar, Basrah and Missian governorates, were chosen by the UNEP and the Marsh Arab Forum from a list of just under twenty candidate locations identified by the Iraqi government itself, says Aoki. She adds that there were many different factors that were considered in choosing the locations.

"We looked into technical requirements...whether the community existed prior to the degeneration of the marshes..."Aoki emphasized water flow as a particularly important factor. "Depending on how much water is available, there is no guarantee that the ecosystem will be rejuvenated...you have to have a certain amount of water and certain amount of flow," she affirms. The locations chosen from the UNEP's extensive criteria were Al-Kirmashiya, Badir Al-Rumaidh, Al-Masahab, Al-Jeweber, Al-Hadam and Al-Sewelmat.The process has only just begun though. "We haven't started implementation yet," says Aoki. "We're still doing site assessments and water quality analysis."She insists that biodiversity and hydrologic assessments are necessary to determine what kinds of ESTs will be appropriate at each site.

As each EST applies distinct techniques to improve water quality and/or manage the wetlands, they need to be designed with the characteristics of a specific location in mind, she explains."We have to have a better understanding of water quality and what kind of sodium content each area has," she continues, explaining that areas with low sodium content are suitable for phytotechnology, the use of plants and vegetation for environmental improvement and management.One example of phytotechnology is an Artificial or Constructed Wetland. "Basically you're utilizing plants to purify contaminated water," says Aoki. "Sometimes in development you can have islands, and you can have it [the Artificial Wetland] submerged in other places... or you can have the water flow diverted into an area.""But phytotechnologies are out of question if the sodium content is too high," says Aoki.

"We would have to use desalination, reverse osmosis," she explains.In order to ensure that the Iraqi people will be able to manage these ESTs, on June 11th, the UNEP initiated a training course that is currently transpiring in Alexandria, Egypt. The course is offered for both local community leaders and outside experts, who will then be able to begin implementation of the ESTs and facilitate future water quality improvement efforts.Dr Ahmed E. Al-Dousari, Research Associate Scientist in the Environmental Sciences Department of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, is optimistic that hydrological improvements in the Iraqi Marshlands could benefit the Kuwait environment as well."When it comes to the environment, there are no borders," he affirms.

"These marshes are fed by the rivers from Turkey, and these rivers go through the marshes and take nutrients that then travel to the Gulf," he says, going on to say that fish and other marine life depend upon these nutrients.As an international collaborator involved in understanding the gradual disintegration of the marshes, Dr Al-Dousari uses satellite imagery from the last three or four decades to create a timeline of the spatial destruction of the wetlands.Comparing his data with similar satellite imagery of the ocean floor, he says he sees an important connection. "After the destruction of the marshes, the nutrients flowing into the Gulf decreased, more salt and sediment went into the Gulf," he says.Dr Al-Dousari fears that this increase in sediment could be directly related to the decline of fishing in Kuwait.

He cites the Silver Back fish as a possible threatened group, as it lays its eggs right at the mouth of the river into the Gulf.The increased sediment levels are also creating problems for boats coming in and out of Shuwaikh Port, as they require man made passages that have been dug along the ocean floor, says Dr Al-Dousari."The sediments are increasing to bury these channels, so more frequent work has had to be done," says Dr Al-Dousari. Still, he remains hopeful that the connection between Iraq and Kuwait's local environments could be positive in the future."If the restoration is at a high enough magnitude, salt should decrease, and there will be less unwanted sediment overloading the closed basin within the Arabian Gulf," he says.

For some however, restoration in Southern Iraq seems fanciful and even misguided. Tareq Rajab, founder of the Tareq Rajab Museum and photographer for Jehan S. Rajab's book, A Glimpse of the Marshes and the Marsh Arabs, feels that it is too late for the marshes and the people that once lived there."The marshes were created by nature over thousands of years," says Rajab, who once lived in the marshes, and remembers a time when the rivers would flood seasonally, extending the wetlands as far as the ocean. "You cannot recreate that artificially," he continues. Rajab says that as dams were built along the Euphrates River, the annual flooding in southern Iraq ceased. He does not see that it is likely that the marshes will be able to be rejuvenated, as "The River itself doesn't have enough water."

Despite his skepticism, he admits that the restoration project will have some environmental benefits for the wildlife inhabiting the region as well as the migratory birds that choose to rest there. But he does not believe that the locals will be able to return to their tribal ways. "The Marsh Arab way of life is lost," he says."They've had a taste of modern life," he continues. "Can you imagine them going back to live in a reed hut?" Rajab says that culture is inherited and not created. "The Marsh Arabs inherited that way of life, and now they have adapted to a different way of life," he says. "People romanticize about that simple way of life, but they cannot recreate it."Still, Aoki and her team are hopeful that their project will live up to expectations.

"The project reflects the priorities and needs of the Iraqi side," she argues. "Anything the UN does is driven by what is submitted by the Iraqi government and what they have identified as being a priority.""From an environmental standpoint," she adds, "It would be a pity for them (Marsh Arabs) to abandon that lifestyle because the marshes are no longer there."The UNEP and the other governments and organizations involved are constantly reassessing their efforts, be it through roundtable discussions or the MIN, reaching towards a unified objective.And though it's a lengthy process, Aoki upholds that this unified objective is necessary for restorative work to be effective. "The best way to move forward is to cooperate with other agencies," she says."We (UNEP) made a decision not to duplicate the work (of other agencies) and to work with them...our role is to ensure that whatever is happening can happen in the most environmentally friendly manner."

By Jenn Cameron

© Arab Times 2005

 
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