230 buffalos perish from disease in Thi-Qar

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: More than 230 buffalos have perished in Thi-Qar’s al-Hammar district this summer, the head of the provincial council said on Tuesday, accusing local authorities of negligence in dealing with the matter. Describing the loss as “an environmental and economic catastrophe,” Ali Aqla said that the perished animals were the main source of income for local residents, who sell their milk and other products for livelihood. Meanwhile, a local veterinarian told IraqiNews.com that the spread of diseases is the result of lack of attention on the part of the government. “We have addressed U.N. organizations in the region, which responded quickly and provided us with large amounts of medicines,” he added. Thi-Qar, 380 km south of Baghad, has an area of 12,900 square kilometers (4,980.7 sq mi). In 2003 the estimated population of the governorate was 1,454,200 people. Thi-Qar was the second Iraqi province where security responsibilities were transferred from the Multi-National Force (MNF) to the Iraqis. The province’s capital is the city of al-Nassiriya. It also includes the ancient Sumerian ruins of Ur, Eridu, Lagash and Ngirsu. Before 1976 the province was known as al-Muntafiq. SS (S) 1