Plight of the Ma dan -People of the Iraqi Marshlands-

1. Plight of the Ma�dan-People of the Iraqi Marshlands- Race Poverty and the Urban Environment Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes Spring 2004, San Francisco State University This presentation can be used for any purpose, educational or otherwise, provided that the author and host are cited clearly and appropriately.

2. Where in the World are the Iraqi Marshlands?

3. Who are the Ma�dan? Population of 500,000 to 1,000,000 Often referred to as Marsh Arabs Primarily Shi�ite Muslims Proud of their self-sufficiency Subsisted on fishing, hunting, growing rice, and harvesting dates Live on small artificial islands constructed of reeds Resisted central control of Baghdad Aligned with local leaders Many fought for Iraq during war with Iran

6. History of the Marshlands Mesopotamia is considered the cradle of civilization. It had remained unchanged for 5000 years. Previously a major agricultural producer in the region. Long home to bandits, smugglers, and other outlaws. Many rebels who stood up during the Gulf War took refuge there. Threatened with drainage since the British ruled Iraq. A major battle ground in the war with Iran.

8. 1991 Gulf War �a turning point Expected invasion by US fueled uprisings. Rebels oppressed by Saddam hid in the Marshes. A massive government project to drain the Marshes in order to flush out the rebels began immediately. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their way of life. People flocked to nearby cities and to refugee camps in Iran who were sympathetic to the Ma�dan.

9. Impacts on Surrounding Areas Large migrations of people to already impoverished areas incited riots in Basra and other cities near the Marshes. The Iranian government set up camps and provided assistance for those who fled to Iran. Large amounts of local farmland was lost resulting in a reliance on imported food. This, in conjunction with the embargo caused poverty and malnutrition to spiral out of control.

10. Environmental Impacts In combination with oil spilled into the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War, fish stocks which spawned in the marshes were decimated. Migratory birds lost an important feeding and nesting ground. An untold number of native species were lost forever, such as the smooth-coated otter on the right.

11. The Drainage Project British engineers drew up the original plans and began construction in the 1950�s while Iraq was a British colony. The original purpose was to desalinate the Marshes in order to create farmland. Small projects took place after Iraqi sovereignty in 1958. There was a renewed effort after the Iraq-Iran war to flush out rebels and defectors. This new effort was small in scale but aimed at complete drainage as opposed to desalination. After the Gulf War nearly all of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were diverted into the Mother of All Battles River, an artificial canal, which dumped right into the Gulf. Turkish Dams on the Euphrates are estimated to be removing 20% of the annual flow as well as limiting spring flooding of the seasonal marshes.

12. Saddam Hussein�s Wrath Used the protection of the marshes to launch his attack on Iran, drawing the Ma�dan into the fight and destroying their lands. Claimed to be creating new farmland by draining the marshes, yet the water was dumped directly into the gulf or used for oil extraction. Kurdish rebels who raided an Iraqi secret police office found a document describing tactics for gaining control of the marshlands that included: poisoning, burning houses, and draining the marshes. This is tantamount to genocide and should be part of the case against Hussein. Reparations for hostilities on neighboring countries and an insistence on an enormous military budget left no room for social programs.

13. Potential Alternatives By the late 1950�s the region was feeding millions of people. Coupled with proceeds of Iraqi oil exports, responsible water projects on the Tigris and Euphrates could have maintained the marshes and increased agricultural production. Thanks to its access to the Persian Gulf, Iraq could have become an agricultural exporter. A local food producing region could have prevented much of the starvation and poverty that occurred under the Iraq trade embargo, the U.N. Oil for Food program did not allow enough imports to feed all Iraqis.

14. What�s happening now? Retreating Iraqi troops accidentally blew up a dam when they were destroying a road to slow advancing US troops. The resulting water flow inspired a series of actions as many Ma�dan realized they could take their land back. The overthrow of Saddam Hussein�s oppressive regime in 2003 has allowed some engineers and ordinary citizens to replenish some of the water by opening gates and blowing up dams. AMAR (Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees) has convinced Iran to release more water into the rivers to speed refilling of the marshes. UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) has been monitoring this progress with satellite photos.

15. Areas of change have been highlighted in red

18. Sources Content: www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2001/amar-irq-30nov.pdf http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/sustainable/tigris/marshlands/mesopotamia.pdf Visuals: www.sohoblues.com/.../ previewpage25.htm www.msnbc.com/ news/842769.asp?0cv=NA01&cp1=1 http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/sustainable/tigris/marshlands/ www.item.ntnu.no/~malek/ pixIraq/marsh5.jpg www.usemb-ankara.org.tr/ IRAQ/iraq.htm http://dhushara.freehosting.net/book/upd/jul01/19may01/1.jpg http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/waymac/History%20A/A%20Term%201/4.%20Sumerians/slides.htm http://www.item.ntnu.no/~malek/pixIraq/marsh5.jpg Tor Eigeland 2003 http://www.toreigeland.com/iraq_marsh-arabs/pages/W8685-Iraq-MarshArab.htm