Activities  Sustainable Resource Use Mesopotamian Marshlands

Assessments Capacity Building Early Warning Earthwatch Global Change Metadata Sustainable Resource Use - Lake Balaton - Iraq Marshlands Observation System - Mesopotamian Marshlands ·  Introduction ·  List of Press Clippings ·  May 2003: Water Returns to the Desiccated Mesopotamian Marshlands ·  28 May 2003: Press Release ·  23 May 2003: Mesopotamian Marshlands Forum PPT Presentation ·  22 March 2003: “Garden of Eden” in Southern Iraq Likely to Disappear Completely in Five Years Unless Urgent Action Taken ·  2002: Photos ·  2001: Report ·  13 August 2001: Press Release ·  18 May 2001: UNEP Study Sounds Alarm About the Disappearance of the Mesopotamian Marshlands - Lake Balkhash - Freshwater in Europe - Water for Peace - Nile River Basin

Photos

Roaming Iraqi Marsh Arab refugees lead their water buffalo herds along the banks of the Karun River. (Iran, February 2002)	In the Dasht-E-Azadegan plains, the lower stretches of the Karkheh River are badly depleted and have become briny as the Karkheh dam became operational in April 2001. (Iran, February 2002)	Roughly paralleling the northeastern edge of Hawr Al-Azim, the Shahid Hemmat military causeway guards entry into the wetlands. (Iran, February 2002)	Despite a wet season, streams feeding the marshlands have dried-up. (Iran, February 2002)	Feeder streams flowing into Hawr Al-Azim have run aground despite abundant rainfall in 2002. (Iran, February 2002)
Giant reeds have withered for lack of water. (Iran, February 2002)	Parched marsh beds in a puckered landscape. (Iran, February 2002)	Dry reed stands are set ablaze as more land is seized for agriculture. (Iran, February 2002)	Wetlands converted into wheat fields. (Iran, February 2002)	Sturdy reeds continue to shoot up in newly reclaimed marshlands. (Iran, February 2002)
Copyright © 2002 UNEP/DEWA~Europe/GRID-Europe
Satellite Imagery			Dam Photo
26 March 2000	14 April 2001	3 May 2002
Landsat images timeline the impoundment of the Karkheh dam in Iran, which will take several more years to complete. When flooded, the reservoir will cover an area of 162.43 square kilometres and attain nearly 60 kilometres in length at normal water level.			With a gross reservoir capacity of 7.3 billion cubic meters, the Karkheh dam is the largest of its kind in Iran and is planned to supply water for irrigation of 340,000 hectares of agricultural land. Photo Credit © Karkheh Dam Project

These satellite images were acquired by Landsat 7’s Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) and are provided courtesy of UNEP/GRID-Sioux Falls and USGS EROS Data Centre. This is a false-colour composite image made using mid-infrared, near-infrared, and green wavelengths (Bands 7,4 and 2).