OHCHR / IRAQ CLIMATE CHANGE
11-Aug-2023
00:04:22
Travelling in the Mesopotamian marshes near Chibayish in southern Iraq, the waterways are lined by lush green reeds. But step onto land and the change is dramatic. No longer marshland but land scarred by years of drought. The heat is overwhelming with the midday temperatures reaching 50°C. OHCHR
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STORY: OHCHR / IRAQ CLIMATE CHANGE
TRT: 04:21
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 03 AUGUST 2023, MARSHLANDS, SOUTHERN IRAQ / 09 AUGUST 2023, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, IRAQ / 10 AUGUST 2023, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
TRT: 04:21
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 03 AUGUST 2023, MARSHLANDS, SOUTHERN IRAQ / 09 AUGUST 2023, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, IRAQ / 10 AUGUST 2023, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
SHOTLIST
03 AUGUST 2023, MARSHLANDS, SOUTHERN IRAQ
1. Various shots, Waterways in the marshlands of Chibayish in the Thi-Qar governorate in southern Iraq
2. Med shot, farmer transporting food for his buffaloes on boat
3. Med shot, Marshland harvesting reeds
4. Med shot, bank of waterway in marsh
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“At the end of the winter, it was very nice here, with buffalo breeders, fishermen and the water covered all this area. And now you can see it is completely dry there is no water here, no buffalo breeders, no fishermen, and the reeds have died”.
6. Wide shot, Jassim Al-Asadi walking pass traditional reed house
7. Wide shot, Jassim Al-Asadi standing dried marshland
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“There is a change in the environment of this area, instead of water its dry, completely, instead of the reeds there are desert trees.”
9. Wide shot, dried marshland and waterway
10. Various shots, Waterways in the marshlands with buffaloes of Chibayish in southern Iraq
11. Various shots, Jasim meeting a young farmer
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“The water is polluted, and the salinity of the water is too high, for this reason he goes to fetch water closer to the Euphrates to bring to the buffaloes.”
13. Med shot, Waterways in the marshlands of Chibayish in southern Iraq
14. Med shot, street in town of Chibayish in southern Iraq
15. Various shots, Mudhif a traditional reed house
16. Various shots, Sheilks meeting inside the Mudhif Chibayish in the Thi-Qar governorate in southern Iraq
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Lebnan Abdul Razzaq Al-Khayoun Al-Alsadi, a clan sheikh:
“Of course, as I have mentioned before, the lack of water has a direct effect on the lives of the people in the countryside as their livelihood relies in the first instance on the water. We are not traders or employees and we do not have other professions to provide us with incomes. The marshes are the profession of our father and forefathers.”
09 AUGUST 2023, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, IRAQ
18. Wide shot, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra
19. Various shots, HC Türk meeting and exchanging with former inhabitants of area
10 AUGUST 2023, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
20. Wide shot, press conference room Baghdad, Iraq
21. Soundbite (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, (OHCHR):
“This is a climate emergency. And it is high time it is treated like one. Not just for Iraq but for the world. What is happening here is a window into a future that is now coming for other parts of the world – if we continue to fail in our responsibility to take preventive and mitigating action against climate change.”
03 AUGUST 2023, MARSHLANDS, SOUTHERN IRAQ
22. Wide shot, marshlands of Chibayish in southern Iraq
1. Various shots, Waterways in the marshlands of Chibayish in the Thi-Qar governorate in southern Iraq
2. Med shot, farmer transporting food for his buffaloes on boat
3. Med shot, Marshland harvesting reeds
4. Med shot, bank of waterway in marsh
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“At the end of the winter, it was very nice here, with buffalo breeders, fishermen and the water covered all this area. And now you can see it is completely dry there is no water here, no buffalo breeders, no fishermen, and the reeds have died”.
6. Wide shot, Jassim Al-Asadi walking pass traditional reed house
7. Wide shot, Jassim Al-Asadi standing dried marshland
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“There is a change in the environment of this area, instead of water its dry, completely, instead of the reeds there are desert trees.”
9. Wide shot, dried marshland and waterway
10. Various shots, Waterways in the marshlands with buffaloes of Chibayish in southern Iraq
11. Various shots, Jasim meeting a young farmer
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of the environmental group “Nature Iraq”:
“The water is polluted, and the salinity of the water is too high, for this reason he goes to fetch water closer to the Euphrates to bring to the buffaloes.”
13. Med shot, Waterways in the marshlands of Chibayish in southern Iraq
14. Med shot, street in town of Chibayish in southern Iraq
15. Various shots, Mudhif a traditional reed house
16. Various shots, Sheilks meeting inside the Mudhif Chibayish in the Thi-Qar governorate in southern Iraq
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Lebnan Abdul Razzaq Al-Khayoun Al-Alsadi, a clan sheikh:
“Of course, as I have mentioned before, the lack of water has a direct effect on the lives of the people in the countryside as their livelihood relies in the first instance on the water. We are not traders or employees and we do not have other professions to provide us with incomes. The marshes are the profession of our father and forefathers.”
09 AUGUST 2023, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, IRAQ
18. Wide shot, Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra
19. Various shots, HC Türk meeting and exchanging with former inhabitants of area
10 AUGUST 2023, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
20. Wide shot, press conference room Baghdad, Iraq
21. Soundbite (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, (OHCHR):
“This is a climate emergency. And it is high time it is treated like one. Not just for Iraq but for the world. What is happening here is a window into a future that is now coming for other parts of the world – if we continue to fail in our responsibility to take preventive and mitigating action against climate change.”
03 AUGUST 2023, MARSHLANDS, SOUTHERN IRAQ
22. Wide shot, marshlands of Chibayish in southern Iraq
STORYLINE
Travelling in the Mesopotamian marshes near Chibayish in southern Iraq, the waterways are lined by lush green reeds. But step onto land and the change is dramatic. No longer marshland but land scarred by years of drought. The heat is overwhelming with the midday temperatures reaching 50°C.
The Mesopotamian marshes and the culture of the Marsh Arabs - or Ma'adan - have UNESCO world heritage status. The Ma'adan have hunted and fished in these marshes for 5,000 years, building houses from woven reeds on floating reed islands where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers come together before pouring into the Gulf.
Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of an environmental group called Nature Iraq.
Al-Asadi, a hydraulic engineer, has been battling since 2006 to raise awareness of the threats facing Iraq’s southern marshes.
“At the end of the winter, it was very nice here. Buffalo breeders, fishermen and the water covered all this area. And now you can see it is completely dry there is no water here, no buffalo breeders, no fishermen, and also the reeds have died,” says Al-Asadi.
Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab Abdullah announced on 8 August that water levels in Iraq were the lowest they have ever been. The water issue has wider regional implications, and all countries have to work to manage this precious resource as a public good.
Iraq’s southern marshlands – fed by floodwaters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers – have shrunk from 20,000 square kilometers in the early 1990s to 4,000, according to the latest estimates.
Iraq is the fifth most climate-affected country in the world, according to the UN Environment Programme. The Iraqi population is particularly vulnerable to negative human rights impacts arising from serious environmental degradation caused by conflict, the oil industry, and mismanagement and lack of regulation resulting in high levels of pollution.
“There is a change in the environment of this area. Instead of water, it’s dry, completely. Instead of the reeds, there are desert trees,” said Jassim Al-Asadi.
Extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, have become the norm rather than the exception over the past four decades.
The inhabitants of the marshlands have traditionally raised buffaloes to produce milk. But as the marshes dry out, the water gets too salty for the animals to drink.
Jasim Al-Asadi meets a young farmer, who explains how he copes with this.
“The water is polluted, and the salinity of the water is too high. For this reason, he goes to fetch water closer to the Euphrates to bring to the buffaloes,” Jassim Al-Asadi says.
In the town of Chibayish, in Thi-Qar Governorate, community leaders meet in a mudhif - a traditional reed house. Made of from reeds harvested from the marshes, the mudhif is a large ceremonial house, paid for and maintained by a local sheik.
According to the International Organization for Migration, drought, land degradation and increased salinity in rivers and tributaries are putting an increasing strain on agriculture, livestock herding and fishing industries, with many families unable to guarantee sufficient and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.
As of 15 June 2023, some 13,920 families (83,520 individuals) were displaced from their homes because of drought conditions across 10 governorates. Other districts with significant climate-induced displacement include Al-Shatra district in Thi-Qar governorate (2,345 families).
Sheikh Lebnan Abdul Razzaq Al-Khayoun Al-Alsadi, a Marshland clan sheikh has no doubts about the impact the dramatic changes are having on the survival of their traditional culture.
“Of course, as I have mentioned before, the lack of water has a direct effect on the lives of the people in the countryside as their livelihood relies in the first instance on the water. We are not traders or employees and we do not have other professions to provide us with incomes. The marshes are the profession of our father and forefathers,” he says.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk ended a four-day visit to Iraq on 10 August. Türk visited the Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, where he met former inhabitants who have been displaced from their land. They told the High Commissioner how 30 years ago, they were able to live on their land, harvest dates and make a living. The repeated droughts and climate change have dried up the water ways. The date orchards are now desert.
Speaking at a news conference in Baghdad at the end of his visit, Türk stressed the seriousness of the situation – for everyone.
“This is a climate emergency. And it is high time it is treated like one. Not just for Iraq but for the world. What is happening here is a window into a future that is now coming for other parts of the world – if we continue to fail in our responsibility to take preventive and mitigating action against climate change,” the UN Human Rights Chief said.
The Mesopotamian marshes and the culture of the Marsh Arabs - or Ma'adan - have UNESCO world heritage status. The Ma'adan have hunted and fished in these marshes for 5,000 years, building houses from woven reeds on floating reed islands where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers come together before pouring into the Gulf.
Jassim Al-Asadi is the managing director of an environmental group called Nature Iraq.
Al-Asadi, a hydraulic engineer, has been battling since 2006 to raise awareness of the threats facing Iraq’s southern marshes.
“At the end of the winter, it was very nice here. Buffalo breeders, fishermen and the water covered all this area. And now you can see it is completely dry there is no water here, no buffalo breeders, no fishermen, and also the reeds have died,” says Al-Asadi.
Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab Abdullah announced on 8 August that water levels in Iraq were the lowest they have ever been. The water issue has wider regional implications, and all countries have to work to manage this precious resource as a public good.
Iraq’s southern marshlands – fed by floodwaters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers – have shrunk from 20,000 square kilometers in the early 1990s to 4,000, according to the latest estimates.
Iraq is the fifth most climate-affected country in the world, according to the UN Environment Programme. The Iraqi population is particularly vulnerable to negative human rights impacts arising from serious environmental degradation caused by conflict, the oil industry, and mismanagement and lack of regulation resulting in high levels of pollution.
“There is a change in the environment of this area. Instead of water, it’s dry, completely. Instead of the reeds, there are desert trees,” said Jassim Al-Asadi.
Extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, have become the norm rather than the exception over the past four decades.
The inhabitants of the marshlands have traditionally raised buffaloes to produce milk. But as the marshes dry out, the water gets too salty for the animals to drink.
Jasim Al-Asadi meets a young farmer, who explains how he copes with this.
“The water is polluted, and the salinity of the water is too high. For this reason, he goes to fetch water closer to the Euphrates to bring to the buffaloes,” Jassim Al-Asadi says.
In the town of Chibayish, in Thi-Qar Governorate, community leaders meet in a mudhif - a traditional reed house. Made of from reeds harvested from the marshes, the mudhif is a large ceremonial house, paid for and maintained by a local sheik.
According to the International Organization for Migration, drought, land degradation and increased salinity in rivers and tributaries are putting an increasing strain on agriculture, livestock herding and fishing industries, with many families unable to guarantee sufficient and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.
As of 15 June 2023, some 13,920 families (83,520 individuals) were displaced from their homes because of drought conditions across 10 governorates. Other districts with significant climate-induced displacement include Al-Shatra district in Thi-Qar governorate (2,345 families).
Sheikh Lebnan Abdul Razzaq Al-Khayoun Al-Alsadi, a Marshland clan sheikh has no doubts about the impact the dramatic changes are having on the survival of their traditional culture.
“Of course, as I have mentioned before, the lack of water has a direct effect on the lives of the people in the countryside as their livelihood relies in the first instance on the water. We are not traders or employees and we do not have other professions to provide us with incomes. The marshes are the profession of our father and forefathers,” he says.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk ended a four-day visit to Iraq on 10 August. Türk visited the Shatt Al-Arab district, southeast of Basra, where he met former inhabitants who have been displaced from their land. They told the High Commissioner how 30 years ago, they were able to live on their land, harvest dates and make a living. The repeated droughts and climate change have dried up the water ways. The date orchards are now desert.
Speaking at a news conference in Baghdad at the end of his visit, Türk stressed the seriousness of the situation – for everyone.
“This is a climate emergency. And it is high time it is treated like one. Not just for Iraq but for the world. What is happening here is a window into a future that is now coming for other parts of the world – if we continue to fail in our responsibility to take preventive and mitigating action against climate change,” the UN Human Rights Chief said.
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