It’s a real disaster. Thousands of dead fish have been found on the banks of a river in southern Iraq, a disaster that could be linked to the consequences of the drought in this desert country where the authorities have opened an investigation.
In photos taken by an AFP photographer on Monday, thousands of small fish can be seen stranded on the edge of the river in the area of al-Majar al-Kabir, located in the province of Missane (south -East). This border region of Iran is famous for its marshes irrigated by the Tigris River.
Rising temperatures and climate change
Behind this phenomenon, environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema points to “a rise in temperatures” causing increased evaporation and “low water flow”, which results in “a lack of oxygen and an increase in salinity “.
Considered by the UN as one of the five countries in the world most exposed to certain effects of climate change, Iraq is suffering from a drought that has worsened over the past four years. In question: the lack of precipitation, abnormally high temperatures, but above all, according to the authorities, the dams built upstream by Turkey and Iran. These works led downstream to a drastic drop in the flow of the rivers in Iraqi territory.
toxic water
Khodr Abbas Salmane, director in the province of Missane of the local marsh section attached to the Ministry of the Environment, is taking part in an inspection mission on Monday to the site where several “tons” of fish have died. According to the analyses, “the oxygen level (in the water) is zero, in addition to an increase in the salinity rate”, he told AFP, specifying that nine species live in these waters and the fish “keep dying”.
Fish and water samples will be analyzed to “determine whether or not there are chemicals present”, he added. The salinity level of the water is such that it “cannot even be used for agricultural purposes”, at the risk of “ravaging” the land, he said. According to him, “the toxicity of water can also increase and seep into the earth”. “Any dead animal rots (…) This increases the level of pollution. »