Southern Iraq’s Shaat al-Arab Waterway threatened by pollution

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Legislature of southern Iraq ’s Basra Province , Suzan al-Saad, has expressed fear from the increase of pollution in Shatt al-Arab Waterway, due to the failure of treating its reasons and the interaction with the environment catastrophe of the Waterway, al-Hayat Newspaper quoted her as saying on Tuesday.   “The spreading of the oil spots in Shatt al-Arab Waterway and the increase of the salinity in the Waterway, caused by the leakage of Iran’s Abadan Oil Refinery, are behind factors that would change it into a useless Waterway, in the long run, along with the loss of any chance to restore it into its natural condition,” Saad said.   She said that “the fate of Basra Province has become unknown, due to the pollution of the Waterway, thing that would convert it into a ‘disaster province,’ if the situation continues on its present level, without treating its causes,” expressing “regret that Basra faces such unjustified negligence, despite fact that it represents the main source of the Iraqi economy.”   On his part, the Rapporteur of the Operations Chamber, formed by the Iraqi Council of Ministers, Muhsin Abdul-Hay, told al-Hayat Newspaper that “the Chamber had demanded the Central Government to allocate funds for discovering the environmental losses, caused by the Iranian desalination waters for the Iraqi soil and underground waters in several Iraqi border areas”   Abdul-Hay, an Advisor of Basra Governor for Agricultural Affairs, said that “the Operations Chamber had registered recently the decrease of the level of desalination waters by 30 cms, due to the disappearance of large quantities of them under the recent rise in temperature degrees.”   “Even if all desalinated waters disappear or pumped for other areas in the future, the areas that were covered by such waters would continue to face environmental problems, that can’t be treated with 100 years,” he said.   Abdul-Hay considered “the reports sent to the International Organizations recently had confirmed the departure of large inhabitants of Basra’s Faw and Siba townships due to the said environmental effects,” thing that was confirmed by the High Commission for Immigrants Affairs, that reaffirmed that the reason for that departure had been the rise of salinity in Shatt al-Arab Waterway.   SKH (FT)