A Green and Sustainable Vision for Basra

V A Green and Sustainable Vision for Basra Dr. Broder Merkel, Dr. Sameh W. Al-Muqdadi, Dr. Nawrast S. Abdalwahab, Zina Riadh Abdulla 1. Introduction to The Former ‘Venice of The Middle East’ The city of Basra was built in the beginning of the Islamic Dr. Broder Merkel era in 636 AD. The harbor city was located in the north of Broder Merkel is a German expert on water and environment. He worked for many the Arabian/Persian Gulf on the strategic location of the years as Professor in TU Bergakademie Silk Road. The population of the city of Basra peaked in Freiberg, as well as in many countries in the Middle East, Africa and South 1977. During the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Basra was called the America. Today he works as a consultant, editor and author. He is convinced that Venice of the Orient, just as Beirut was called the Paris supplying safe water for the still growing world population is the biggest challenge of the East or the Pearl of the Orient. Today, one can only in the near future. Dr. Sameh W. Al-Muqdadi Sameh is an expert on Water management, Water conflict and resolution, holding a PhD from TU Bergakademie Freiberg. He is the founder of Green Charter GC in Germany for Water and Environmental consultancy. Sameh has led several international projects in Europe and the Middle East. He firmly believes that water could be a source of cooperation and peace rather than a reason for conflict. Past and present view of Shatt al-Arab corniche (Copyright Dr. Nawrast Abdalwahab) V 138 WATER IS LIFE imagine the beauty that once characterized this city with great imagination. However, the population of Basra declined remarkably during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988); this, along with both the Gulf war (1990/91) and the US-Invasion of Iraq (2003), had major negative impacts on the city. The aftermath of these wars, together with the deliberate destruction of marshlands during the early 1990s, have another devastating impact on water quality and quantity, the ecosystem, and Dr. Nawrast S. Abdalwahab people. Furthermore, the restoration of the marshland after Nawrast is a Geologist and Lecturer at the University of Basrah. She earned her 2004 had further negative impacts on Basra, specifically PhD degree of Geology in 2013, from due to the changes to the natural system of Shatt al-Arab, University of Mosul- Iraq. Her research focused on the Basin Analysis of the which consequently increased its salinity. under-discover Gas and Petroleum of Akkas Field, Western Iraq. Nawrast has a Everything in Basra has changed since then: flair, charm, special interest in moving beyond scientific paradigms to philosophical inquiry. In smell, lifestyle, and architecture. The taste of the city addition to Geology, she lectures on as one of the most modern cities in Iraq has gone. Even Philosophy of Science and Environmental Geology. Since 2016, she has collaborated the memories of people have been deeply affected. The with artist Kelcy Davenport to create progression of three wars has resulted in an obliterated «From Basra to Cambridge and Back», an ongoing art-geology research project. identity of the city and its people. It is clear that Basra Nawrast’s research on the interdisciplinary of geology and art has led her current nowadays stands by the ruins of its glory during the 60s project into geology and art as a sustainable and the 70s of the last century. approach for complex areas. Basra, like Baghdad and Mosul, has been well known for its diversity and plurality. But the population growth rate and demographic distribution have changed dramatically. Furthermore, the challenges of climate change, water shortage, desertification, and energy consumption, together with poor management, has complicated the current image of the city. The main outcome is an alienation of oneself from the city. For the last 30 years, people in Basra have been buying water for drinking and cooking. All families engage in this activity, especially the youngest. Therefore, it is quite Zina Riadh Abdulla common to see a young boy or girl with a small jerrican Zina is an architect and academic with a crossing the street to buy water from the neighbor, who is strong passion for environmentalism and sustainability. She has practical professional the owner of the closest tank with reverse osmosis (RO) experience in working with international water. Only middle-class families have their own RO tank NGOs on themes such as youth engagement and leadership, entrepreneurship, and in their garden, which is refilled once a week by calling higher education development. the vendor. A Green and Sustainable Vision for Basra 139 V Scrap on Shatt al-Arab (Copyright Dr. Nawrast Abdalwahab) Just like Venice, this photo shows the typical style of boats called “Ashari”. These boats were built of wood and used in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Their structure is based on the millennia-old reed canoes called Mashḥoof .used in the marshes from the very beginning of civilization ,(مشحوف :Arabic) The political and deliberate drying up of the marshes in the early 1990s has had huge effects on the environment, then and now. V 140 WATER IS LIFE The crisis of Basra was exacerbated in and independence from the central 2018, when protests broke out in June government in Baghdad was reactivated with demands for the enhancement of during November 2018. public services, and again in July due to extensive electricity cuts. The crisis reached its peak during August 2018, when Interviewing Basrawis…. (1) up to 118,000 people were poisoned by Today Basra is an unsustainable city, polluted drinking water. The largest wave in terms of water, waste, energy, and of protests rose in September with riots and environment. To explore these issues, fires set at 12 local political parties’ offices. particularly the conditions of water Although waves of protest began in Basra services, we interviewed 46 of Basra’s after the 2003 US-invasion for various citizens. The questions in the survey were political, economic, and social reasons, designed to investigate public awareness, the September 2018 demonstration was consumption patterns, the government the first big protest that was primarily and water management performance, the for health and environmental reasons. non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) Women took part in this demonstration and private sector’s roles, as well as other in large numbers. The water crisis can be challenging knowledge amongst the considered a turning point in the nature of respondents. civic engagement and alienation from the local government and all political parties The results show that 97.8% of the in Basra. Moreover, the call for autonomy respondents buy drinking water. Nearly half of these buy more than 1000 liters (1) Basra is Thirsty. Iraq’s Failure to Manage the Water of water per month. Tap water is used Crisis. 2019 Human Rights Watch for other domestic and personal usages, A Green and Sustainable Vision for Basra 141 V while groundwater and treated water are water desalination and treatment by the rarely utilized. A vast majority of Basra private sector that already existed in Basra. people need suction pumps in their houses However, the majority of Basrawis think to fill their rooftop tanks, due to a very that NGOs and the private sector could low water pressure in the water network. contribute positively in order to solve the Furthermore, 60% of the respondents water issues, and that the government do not receive a water bill, while the should cooperate with both. On the majority of the respondents would agree other hand, although more than half of to installing a water metric in their houses. the respondents have never volunteered However, not only are technical problems in any campaign related to water and in the water pipes common in most Basra environment, the majority of them are districts, but water knowledge is also ready to volunteer in any type of these insufficient. campaigns in the future. The lack of trust in the government’s The interviewees also think that management, performance, regulation, agriculture patterns, irrigation systems, cooperation, and negotiation is evident in and power generation in Basra should be most respondents’ answers. Indeed, well replaced by less water-consuming devices over half of the respondents think that and sustainable and renewable power the local government is responsible for generation methods. More than half of the water shortage in Basra. Moreover, the respondents agree with Basra’s local the vast majority of people said that oil government plan for seawater desalination, companies in Basra do not provide clear while more than three-quarters of the figures of the quantity of water used in respondents think that the mitigation oil production, and that oil companies of climate change will decrease water do not follow environmental regulation, scarcity. proper treatment, or remediation methods. Similarly, the majority of the respondents 2. What’s Going Wrong? think that there is no clear regulation Basra is a major metropolitan city to govern and manage the water shares suffering from urban heat island effect, between the governorates; in addition, with the city center being much hotter they think that the government does not than the rural surrounding areas. This negotiate well with upstream countries to is caused by an increase of gas and fine manage the water shares, and that even dust emissions due to traffic and diesel- the restoration of the marshland was not based electricity production, lack of green efficiently implemented. areas, and roads and sidewalks made Significantly, three-quarters of the from materials that trap heat during the surveyed citizens were unsatisfied with day and release it during nighttime.

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