Abstract
Hydrological conditions of the Iraqi Marshes have changed over the course of the past decades. The hydrological system of the marshlands lost many of its components during the draining in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of its integrity returned after the partial restoration since 2003. In current times, the hydrology of the marshlands remains susceptible to droughts and decreased water flows from upstream. The impact of dam construction on the hydrology of the Marshes has been considerable: due to reduced water levels from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, different areas of the Marshes remain hydrologically disconnected and fragmented, compared to earlier levels. Salinization caused by changes in the hydrological regime has damaged the ecology of the marshlands. Restoration of the hydrological regime of Iraqi Marshes depends on the water quantity and quality that feed the marshlands. Re-flooding alone has not restored the hydrology of the marshlands; instead, further comprehensive data on water discharge and quality is still needed. A management plan would have to find suitable alternative water supplies, especially with regard to discharge which is of low quality, or establish suitable treatment so that salinity levels are reduced before it enters the marshland area. To better determine the quality, quantity, and hydroperiod of the hydrological regime of the Marshes, further research is needed. Technology could facilitate hydrological conditions in the Marshes, provided it is based on reliable water allocations and target environmental variables.
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Notes
- 1.
Managing Change in the Marshlands: Iraq’s Critical Challenge, United Nations White Paper: Report of the United Nations Integrated Water Task Force for Iraq, 2011, http://www.hydrology.nl/images/docs/ihp/2011.08_Marshlands_Iraq.pdf, 2.
- 2.
Managing Change in the Marshlands: Iraq’s Critical Challenge, United Nations White Paper: Report of the United Nations Integrated Water Task Force for Iraq, 2011, http://www.hydrology.nl/images/docs/ihp/2011.08_Marshlands_Iraq.pdf, 2.
- 3.
Physical Setting of the Marshlands, Fanack Water, 30 May 2017, https://water.fanack.com/specials/iraqi-marshes/physical-setting
- 4.
Physical Setting of the Marshlands, Fanack Water, 30 May 2017, https://water.fanack.com/specials/iraqi-marshes/physical-setting
- 5.
Managing Change in the Marshlands: Iraq’s Critical Challenge, United Nations White Paper: Report of the United Nations Integrated Water Task Force for Iraq, 2011, http://www.hydrology.nl/images/docs/ihp/2011.08_Marshlands_Iraq.pdf, 29.
- 6.
Physical Setting of the Marshlands, Fanack Water, 30 May 2017, https://water.fanack.com/specials/iraqi-marshes/physical-setting
- 7.
Lessons from the Destruction of Iraq’s Marshes, Washington Post, 17 August 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2fnews%2fmonkey-cage%2fwp%2f2015%2f08%2f17%2flessons-from-the-destruction-of-iraqs-marshes%2f%3f&utm_term=.24c8757af414
- 8.
Managing Change in the Marshlands: Iraq’s Critical Challenge, United Nations White Paper: Report of the United Nations Integrated Water Task Force for Iraq, http://www.hydrology.nl/images/docs/ihp/2011.08_Marshlands_Iraq.pdf, 2011, 8.
- 9.
UNESCO Should Address the Impacts of Upstream Dam Construction on the Ahwar of Iraq and Support Transboundary Water-Sharing Agreements, Save the Tigris, 2 July 2019, https://www.savethetigris.org/unesco-should-address-the-impacts-of-upstream-dam-construction-on-the-ahwar-of-iraq-and-support-transboundary-water-sharing-agreements.
- 10.
Second State of Conservation Report Addressed by the Republic of Iraq to the World Heritage Committee on the Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities, World Heritage Property no.1481, February 2019, 5.
- 11.
UNESCO Should Address the Impacts of Upstream Dam Construction on the Ahwar of Iraq and Support Transboundary Water-Sharing Agreements, Save the Tigris, 2 July 2019, https://www.savethetigris.org/unesco-should-address-the-impacts-of-upstream-dam-construction-on-the-ahwar-of-iraq-and-support-transboundary-water-sharing-agreements.
- 12.
Decision: 42 COM 7B.66 The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities (Iraq) (C/N 1481), UNESCO World Heritage Committee, 4 July 2018, https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7295.
- 13.
Decision: 42 COM 7B.66 The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities (Iraq) (C/N 1481), UNESCO World Heritage Committee, 4 July 2018, https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7295.
- 14.
Ilisu Dam Turkey, Banktrack, 1 November 2015, https://www.banktrack.org/project/ilisu_dam.
- 15.
UNESCO Should Address the Impacts of Upstream Dam Construction on the Ahwar of Iraq and Support Transboundary Water-Sharing Agreements, Save the Tigris, 2 July 2019, https://www.savethetigris.org/unesco-should-address-the-impacts-of-upstream-dam-construction-on-the-ahwar-of-iraq-and-support-transboundary-water-sharing-agreements.
- 16.
Ibidem.
- 17.
Ibidem.
- 18.
Fact-Finding Team Report on the Humanitarian Situation in Basra, Save the Tigris, 8 November 2018, https://www.savethetigris.org/fact-finding-team-report-on-the-humanitarian-situation-in-basra.
- 19.
UNESCO Should Address the Impacts of Upstream Dam Construction on the Ahwar of Iraq and Support Transboundary Water-Sharing Agreements, Save the Tigris, 2 July 2019, https://www.savethetigris.org/unesco-should-address-the-impacts-of-upstream-dam-construction-on-the-ahwar-of-iraq-and-support-transboundary-water-sharing-agreements.
- 20.
Second State of Conservation Report Addressed by the Republic of Iraq to the World Heritage Committee on the Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities, World Heritage Property no.1481, February 2019, 5.
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Bijnens, T. (2021). Hydrologic Structures in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin and Their Impact on the Vitality of the Marshes. In: Jawad, L.A. (eds) Southern Iraq's Marshes. Coastal Research Library, vol 36. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66238-7_7
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