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How did modern water-control projects affect Iraq’s southern marshes?

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Map showing the Tigris and Euphrates river basin and its drainage network across Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, with color shading for elevation, major dams, canals, lakes, and boundaries with neighboring countries. The green areas indicate lower elevations along the river valleys, while higher elevations are shaded in brown and orange. A small locator map in the corner shows the basin's position within the Middle East. — Tigris-Euphrates river system The Tigris and Euphrates river basin and its drainage network.

Modern water-control projects have significantly altered Iraq’s southern marshlands, historically the largest wetland system in the Middle East. While technologies like damming were intended to manage flood-and-drought cycles and support agriculture, they have led to widespread desiccation and reduced soil nutrient replenishment.1

Following the Persian Gulf War, the Iraqi government constructed large-scale canals ostensibly for irrigation and drainage. However, these projects were also used to drain approximately nine-tenths of the southern marshes to displace rebel forces hiding within them. This intervention devastated the traditional way of life for the Ma'dan, or Marsh Arabs, forcing many to flee or relocate. Much of the drained area transformed into arid salt flats. Although some areas were reflooded after the 2003 Iraq War, experts note that full ecological restoration remains a difficult and resource-intensive challenge.231