Abstracts 21 - 28 of the papers from the
First Scientific Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Southern Iraq Marshes
Basrah, Iraq 11 - 12 April 2005

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Living Reality for Buffaloes and Cows in the Basrah Marshes

Ghazi M. Jabir
Dept. Marine Biology, Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah

ABSTRACT

A living reality study for buffaloes and cows in the Basrah Marshes was done, including numbers of the animals according to their relevance places and recording of all diseases that infect these animals and all zonal diseases which transmit from animals to people, including bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal diseases. These animals were treated and healthy animals were vaccinated. The mortality and parturition rates of buffaloes and cows were studied from 1990 to 2003. A nutritive program for buffaloes was carried out by giving them green fodder and bran. Quantities of consumed fodder and milk production rates were estimated. Fertilization and reproductive features were studied. The effect of marshland drying on the lives of buffalo and cows was carried out. Drainage of the Marshes caused a great decrease in the amount of available marshland fodder resulting in declines in the nourishment of buffaloes and cows. A resulting decrease in milk production forced breeders to purchase bran from the market at high prices, and this supplementation was still not enough to meet buffaloes' and cows' nutritional requirements. Buffaloes are economically important to humans because of their great production of milk rich in calcium, in addition to their meat and skin that is used in many industrial applications.

 The environment of the Iraqi marshes is regarded as one of the most important in Iraq. Its history is related to some of the stages of its geological structure. The marshes became one of the prominent sources of evidence on which many scientific theories to explain the growth of Mesopotamia were based. The environment of the marshes is a special geographical feature intermediate between land and water that has become connected to many human activities such as agriculture and some of the local industries. On the other hand, rural settlement took place since that first expansion of land in water, and sometimes on water itself. After the drying of the marshes began in the early 1990s, the settlement patterns underwent new development and changes, to adapt to the new geographical circumstances. The partial return of water to some places makes it obligatory to find a new way to cope with the present circumstances. The present study focused on part of the southern Iraqi marshes represented by geographical features of the Sooq Al-Shiyoukh marsh region as natural and human features for future rural settlement as a sample of the marsh environment in southern Iraq. The present geographical situation imposes resettlements according to geographical result with the existence of the uncovered lands or places to which water has been newly restored. This new plan for resettling the marshes may yield new types of economic activities, as well as some that had previously disappeared after the drying of the marshes. The recent release of water into the marshes does not mean that water will cover all the marshlands as in the past, because of existing and proposed hydrological projects in neighboring countries. A new plan should therefore be proposed for the distribution of new rural colonies.

The present paper throws light upon a phonemic phenomenon (Phonemic Alteration) related to the indigenous marsh inhabitants. This linguistic change allows people to pronounce certain phrases more easily in their dialect by letting them avoid constructions that are difficult or pedantic. The paper is based on a framework that defines this vocal alteration. The paper has two sections. Section one sheds light on the remaining colour of the old dialect throughout the present way of phonemic alteration. Section two discusses the development of the Marsh Dwellers' local dialect via phonemic alteration. The paper concludes that some such alterations developed in the distant past while some others are recent. However both types are meant to facilitate communication among those natives of the marshes, specifically among the Beni Asad tribe.

This research describes a simple design of a photovoltaic solar energy system to supply a marsh village with independent electrical energy modules, taking into account all the meteorological conditions of this region. Different types of solar panels have been studied, and a suitable choice was made for better performance of the system in the region of this village.

This study examined the physical and chemical properties of water, sediments and soil in many locations of the Thi-Qar Marshes during July-August 2004. pH, conductivity, hardness, turbidity, and the ionic concentrations of Cl-, Ca⁺⁺, Mg⁺⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, and HCO₃^- were estimated. The results obtained for these parameters were (7.4-7.8), (1.22-12.25) mohs/cm², (211-2475) meg/l., (3.8-28.0) meg/l., (67-943) mg/l, (57.6-530.1) mg/l., (14.88-641.6) mg/l., (0.7-11.9) mg/l., (140-655) mg/l., and (3.3-1.6) mg/l., respectively. The bulk density, particle density, total organic carbon (% TOC), soil texture, pH, conductivity, the ionic concentrations of Cl^-, Ca⁺⁺, Mg⁺⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, HCO₃^-, and the percentage of (NH₄⁺) in sediment were (1.04-1.25g/cm³), (2.35-2.70g/cm³), (0.62%-0.85%), silty loam, sandy loam clay loam, and silty loam, (7.6-7.8), (3-8.2) mmho/cm², (171.5-686.2 meg/l), (172.8-403.4 mg/l), (39.6-430.4 mg/l), (2-8.9 mg/l), (575-855 mg/l), (6.12-9.3), and (0.05%-0.08%), respectively. The bulk density, the particle density, total organic matter texture, pH, conductivity, and the ionic concentration of Cl^-, Ca⁺⁺, Mg⁺⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, HCO₃^-, and %(NH₄⁺) of the soil were (1.05-1.25 gm/cm³), (2.4-2.6 gm/cm³), (0.98-1.54%), sandy loam, silty loam, silty loam, and silty loam, (7.47-8), (7.2-9.0) mmhos/cm², (171.5-345.6 meg/l), (288-518.4 mg/l), (140.5-408.9 mg/l), (4-6.7 mg/l), (600-745 mg/l), (6.12-9.3 mg/l), and (0.03%-0.07%) respectively. Accordingly, it could be concluded that the water in the soil and sediment of most of the marshes has high salinity and high Na⁺ content.

Between 20% and 70% of the population in the various regions of Iraq depends directly on agriculture for its livelihood. The level of productivity of these people influences not only their own well-being, but also that of the communities that consume the food that they produce. Most deficiencies in food supply and nutrition can be traced to the very low level of productivity of Iraqi agriculture compared to that of neighboring countries. This situation has been exacerbated by the recent wars, by fragmentation of the extension and research programs, and by the extensive use of subsidies on inputs. Input subsidies have led to a welfare mentality among farmers. In addition, the low prices of production make inputs necessary for the production of food crops and livestock and is often equally or more limiting than the supply of inputs. One of the major reasons for low productivity is the poor flow of relevant, modern information to support the efforts of Iraqi farming. Such information can come from introducing and testing techniques and equipment from other countries, from practical research to adapt that information to local conditions, and from transferring information to farmers in a way that involves them personally at the grass- roots level.

Fungi are widely distributed in different habitats. Marshes are among those habitats that harbor diverse fungal groups, including aquatic and terrestrial fungi. Fungi play major roles in biodegradation and biodeterioration in marsh ecosystems throughout the world. The principal functions of fungi in marshes are important in many ways; e.g. decomposition, mineralization, detoxification and desalinization processes. On the other hand, fungi might also be harmful by causing fish diseases and animal infections in marsh habitats. Recently, fungi have been used in biological control against many plant pathogens such as nematodes and insects. In addition, fungi can play a part in the growth of many plants living under stressful conditions by improving their nutrient status and root hydraulic conductance. A number of significant applications of fungi that may directly or indirectly affect the biota, soil and waters of marsh habitats are addressed in this presentation. So far, little information is available on the fungi of the marshes of Iraq. It is therefore important to conduct future research in this habitat by examining the significance of the indigenous fungi in the Iraqi marshes.

During the summer 2004 session of the Institute of Sustainable Development at the University of the Middle East Project (http://www.ume.org) in Toledo, Spain, the authors introduced a rapid, low-tech planning tool for restoring the Mesopotamian marshlands of southern Iraq. The session was conducted during the afternoon of July 7. The participants were primarily young leaders from a variety of national government agencies, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations from the Middle East and North Africa. Working in teams of three, the participants prepared nine-step sequences that they believed would accomplish the ecological restoration of the marshlands and the repatriation of thousands of political and environmental refugees who once inhabited the marsh region.

Among the most-frequently mentioned steps were a) comprehensive involvement of the marsh refugee population in restoration planning, design and implementation, b) early removal of the offending dams, drains, canals and interceptors, c) pilot-scale restoration projects to test the power of available techniques, d) reintroduction of marshlands plants and animals, f) financial support for ecological restoration projects and traditional-style livelihoods and g) improved electricity, telephone and health care services.