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Iraq's Marsh Arabs

Iraq's southern marshlands -- drained by Saddam Hussein, who thought it was a refuge for many of his enemies -- were given a lifeline when the U.S. invaded in 2003. But drought, pollution and disputes with Iraq's neighbors are once again threatening the future of marshland communities.

Marsh Arabs bundle reeds they have gathered and unload them to sell at a waterside market. Despite the fact that water flow to the marshes through the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers was reinstated in 2003, drought and a disruption of the water flow from Iraq's neighboring countries has caused the marshlands to regress again.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

The "Marsh Arabs" who live in the area struggle with poverty. Three families live together in one reed hut. They make a living tending to buffalo, fishing and gathering reeds.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Men from several different families work together to build another reed hut for their living area, shared by three families.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Abbas Jassim Al-Asadi, a fisherman and hunter who has spent most of his life living in the marshes, pushes his boat from a shallow area of the marshlands.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Raising buffalo and selling cheese made from their milk is a common way to make a living in the marshes. But the farmers say lowered water levels and pollution has made it difficult to keep the buffalo healthy.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Iraq's southern marshland suffers from drought.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

A fisherman uses a net attached to a generator that shocks the fish, making them easy to scoop up.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

$Fisherman weigh their catch in a small waterfront market. They say their fish are half the size and a fraction as plentiful as they were three years ago.$

Fisherman weigh their catch in a small waterfront market. They say their fish are half the size and a fraction as plentiful as they were three years ago.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

As water returned after Saddam Hussein drained the marshes, small communities of Marsh Arabs have once again begun to build houses made of reed and glide through narrow canals in dugout canoes.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

A young woman sits on a boat waiting for her family to finish selling their goods. Iraq's marshland is a mostly conservative Shiite area where women are heavily involved in the manual labor of reed gathering and fishing.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

In the coming months, the Iraqi government plans to build a complex system of water regulators designed to recreate the seasonal tidal movement. Residents say they hope the government delivers quickly on its promises to rebuild the area's infrastructure and expand social services.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Marsh Arabs tend to their buffalo.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

A fisherman reseals the bottom of his boat using tar and fire.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

A flier in support of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr decorates the walls of a reed-built building. The marshes are inhabited mostly by Shiites.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Abbas Jassim al-Asadi stands in the doorway of a building made of marsh reeds. This type of building is typical in Iraq's marsh communities and are used for community gatherings and afternoon coffee.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Abbas Jassim al-Asadi, a fisherman and hunter who has spent most of his life living in the marshes, floats through a low area of the marshes where a canal has had been dug out for the boats to get through.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Turkey and Syria, which get much of their water from the Tigris and Euphrates, have built embankments and dams that have gradually reduced the amount of water that reaches Iraq.

Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post

Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook

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This Story Surviving, but Hardly Thriving Article \| CHIBAISH, Iraq -- Water has begun flowing again through southern Iraq's fabled marshes, a vast reservoir in this arid region that had all but vanished by the time the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 gave it a lifeline. Drought, Pollution Sap Iraq's Marshes Iraq's Marsh Arabs		TOOLBOX E-Mail This Save/Share + Digg Facebook Reddit Twitter myspace del.icio.us NewsTrust Stumble It! COMMENT 0 Comments Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem. Discussion Policy CLOSE Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Who's Blogging » Links to this gallery		More on washingtonpost.com • More Photo News » washingtonpost.com
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