Thousands of dead fish have been found on the banks of a river in southern Iraq, a disaster that may be linked to the aftermath of the drought in this desert country, where authorities have launched an investigation.
Thousands of small fish are seen stranded on the river bank in the area of al-Majar al-Kabir in Missane province (southeast) in photos taken by an AFP photographer on Monday. This border region of Iran is famous for its Tigris-irrigated swamps.
Photo: AFP
Behind this phenomenon, environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema points out that “an increase in temperature” leads to increased evaporation and “low water flow”, leading to “oxygen starvation and an increase in salinity”.
Iraq is considered one of the five countries in the world most vulnerable to certain impacts of climate change, according to the United Nations, and is suffering from a drought that has worsened over the past four years.
Photo: AFP
In question: the lack of rainfall, unusually high temperatures, but above all, according to the authorities, the dams built upstream by Turkey and Iran. These works resulted in a drastic reduction in the flow of rivers downstream in Iraqi territory.
Khodr Abbas Salmane, director of the local swamp department of the Environment Ministry in Missane province, is taking part in an inspection mission on Monday at the site where several “tons” of fish died.
According to the analyses, “oxygen levels (in the water) are zero, in addition to an increase in salinity,” he told AFP, adding that nine species live in these waters and the fish “continue to die”.
Fish and water samples would be analyzed to “determine whether or not chemicals are present,” he added.
The salinity of the water is so high that it “can’t even be used for agricultural purposes,” although there is a risk of “devastating” the country, he said.
According to him, “the toxicity of the water can also increase and penetrate the earth”. “Every dead animal rots (…) This increases the burden.” »
In 2018, a similar phenomenon occurred in the central province of Babylon. Back then, fish farmers had found and brought back thousands of dead carp. They could not identify the cause, some suspected a virus, others suspected chemicals.