‘Water Is Life’: Unexpected Rainfall Revives Iraq’s Historic Marshlands

‘Water Is Life’: Unexpected Rainfall Revives Iraq’s Historic Marshlands
An Iraqi Marsh Arab man smoke cigarettes near buffaloes at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq April 13, 2019. Picture taken April 13, 2019. Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

CHIBAYISH MARSHES, Iraq—This time last year, most of Iraq’s historic marshlands were dry, desiccated by upstream damming and a chronic lack of rainfall.

Now, local farmers are counting their blessings after unexpected heavy rainfall at the end of 2018 caused the dams to overflow by early January and water came gushing back to the wetlands in southeastern Iraq.