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Renewed Hope for the Marshes
University of Miami professor and water resources engineer Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm offered a similar assessment of the extent of the ecological and social damage. "Endangered species of birds are threatened by the marshland loss along major flyways. Salt water has also intruded into waterways, adversely affecting local freshwater commercial fisheries. The Ma'dan culture has essentially been destroyed in violation of its members' human rights," he said. He added that the wetlands "are also nursery grounds for shrimp migrating up from the Arabian Gulf, which are of commercial importance to Gulf states such as Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia."Gordon West and John Wilson of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said, however, that some of the damage was reversible. In joint written testimony, West and Wilson submitted the preliminary findings of studies executed by USAID in Iraq during the summer of 2003. Addressing the committee, Wilson noted, "There has been recent reflooding throughout the marshlands. This reflooding is due to a combination of heavier than normal snowfalls in the north and the deliberate destruction of structures by people in the area, the opening of gates by the Ministry of Water Resources and the release of water by Iran from the east." He added, "The recent imagery from NASA shows that what was once seven percent of the remaining wetlands is now about 30 to 40 percent." In their joint written testimony, West and Wilson said that researchers had taken water and soil samples from existing and recently reflooded marsh areas. "The samples are being analyzed for a full range of parameters, including salinity, toxicity, pesticides, heavy metals, and water vector diseases. The team also did immediate data analyses on salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, and pH," they wrote. They went on to note, "An interesting finding was that salinity was far lower than had been anticipated. The salinity of most of the water was 1.0 part per thousand (ppt) or less, rather than the 3.0-5.0 ppt expected." They also observed, "The team found several areas of healthy regrowth of reeds and other freshwater vegetation and wildlife." They said, "These regions may be a seed source and faunal population base for restoring the drained marshes." Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-03-02 |
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