Azzam Alwash has revived 45 percent of an Iraqi Eden, and he’s hard at work on the rest. This year the Iraqi engineer won a “Green Oscar”, or Goldman Prize, for his efforts centered in Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshes.
The marshes had deteriorated for decades—until Alwash founded the NGO Nature Iraq to transform the area into a heavenly garden once again.
Besides breaking down dams and embankments to let the water flow naturally, the Ministry of Water Resources is attempting to reproduce flood mechanisms via targeted regulators.
Alwash advocates for the use of correct flood mechanisms and irrigation tools to protect the oasis from becoming arid again, and has made environmental education a central part of his project. Politically, Alwash aims to bring the governments of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq together to reach an agreement on riverine management, taking on the enormous responsibility of reversing over half a century of damage on behalf of generations to come.
For more – http://www.natureiraq.org/
2 comments
First read of the morning was quite refreshing. Happy to know that not all is lost in Iraq.
Nice to remember that human ingenuity isn’t ALL bad–and our ability to rebuild is often underestimated.