UN allocates $300m to revive southern marshes

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: The United Nations has allocated $300 million U.S. dollars to revive marshlands in southern Iraq, an official spokesperson for Basra’s governor said on Monday. “On Sunday evening, the governor of Basra, Shaltagh Abboud, met with the UN coordinator in southern Iraq at Basra International Airport,” Salem Taqi told IraqiNews.com news agency. The UN official revealed a UN plan to allocate $300 million U.S. dollars (1 U.S. dollar = 1,170 Iraqi dinars) to revive Iraq’s southern marshes. Abboud highlighted possible UN support for Basra province, particularly in the fields of water and electricity, the spokesperson noted. The Shiite city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The only Iraqi outlet to the sea, Basra is in a fertile agricultural region, with major products including rice, maize corn, barley, pearl millet, wheat and dates as well as livestock. A network of canals flowed through the city, giving it the nickname “The Venice of the Middle East” at least at high tide. SS (P) 1