The Destruction Of Iraq's Marshlands
When marshes in southern Iraq became a hiding place for rebels, Saddam Hussein ordered their destruction in the early 1990s.
In the early 1990s, Saddam Hussein ordered the draining of southern Iraq's great marshes. It was one of the biggest environmental disasters of the twentieth century and an ancient way of life, dating back thousands of years, was almost wiped out. In 2014 Louise Hidalgo spoke to Iraqi environmentalist Azzam Alwash, and to journalist Shyam Bhatia, who knew the area well. This programme is a rebroadcast.
Photograph: An Iraqi Marsh Arab looks out across a barren stretch of the marshes of southern Iraq. (Credit: Essam al-Sudani/AFP/Getty Images)
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Mon 26 Nov 2018 08:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Mon 26 Nov 2018 13:50GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service News Internet
Featured in...
![]()
Environmental history—Witness History
Listen to and download our programmes below
Podcast
-
![]()
Witness History
History as told by the people who were there
