3/24/2019

IRAQ'S : ''WATER WOES''


FAO : Water woes hit heena plant farms in Iraq's Fao peninsula.

IN southern Iraq, where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet, the Fao peninsula were once known for its swathes of heena plants and palm trees.
But the lush greenery of this Basra province district has now turned into hardscrabble surface

Walking past dead palm trees on land so dry it cracks, farmer Abbas Abdul Hassan said water from the polluted Shatt al-Arab river for irrigation had eaten up areas that grew henna plants, whose grounds leaves make the GEIT pasta used as a dye.

''This land was packed with heena plants, the salty water tide killed the heena and killed palm trees,'' he said.

Once bearing some 425 farms, producing 5,000 kilograms [11,023 lb] of henna leaves annually, mainly for export, that number has now fallen to around 50 farms producing 300 kilograms, Fao farm owner Fadhil Falih Abdulla said.

Decades of conflict in Iraq, once a major date producer before switching its economic focus from agriculture to oil, have devastated farms.

Its second city Basra has suffered destruction from wars, conflicts and neglects since the 1980s. Fao, which lies on the bank of  Shatt al-Arab delta near the Gulf, was hit hard due to its location on the frontline of  Iraq's 1980-88 war with Iran.

Abdil Atheem Mohammed of Basra's agriculture office said some 38,000 palm trees had died in the area since 2008.

Shortages of water which caused the rise of salty water tides hit agriculture hard in Basra and caused the fall in henna farms in Fao,'' he said.

A local government project has been trying to revive the plantations in the last two years by setting up a farm in northern Basra. During the collection season - January to April and then May - leaves are reaped every 45 days, and sold at local markets.

At a Basra saloon, customer Sara Ibrahim described Fao henna as ''a heritage.''

Iraq used to export the henna of Fao to the Gulf countries,'' she said as she got her hand decorated with henna. ''But is is difficult to get it nowadays.'' [Agencies]FAO : Water woes hit heena plant  farms in Iraq's Fao peninsula.

IN southern Iraq, where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet, the Fao peninsula were once known for its swathes of heena plants and palm trees.
But the lush greenery of this Basra province district has now turned into hardscrabble surface

Walking past dead palm trees on land so dry it cracks, farmer Abbas Abdul Hassan said water from the polluted  Shatt al-Arab river for irrigation had eaten up areas that grew henna plants, whose grounds leaves make the GEIT pasta used as a dye.

''This land was packed with heena plants, the salty water tide killed the heena and killed palm trees,'' he said.

Once bearing some 425 farms, producing 5,000 kilograms [11,023 lb] of henna leaves annually, mainly for export, that number has now fallen to around 50 farms producing 300 kilograms, Fao farm owner Fadhil Falih Abdulla said.

Decades of conflict in Iraq, once a major date producer before switching its economic focus from agriculture to oil, have devastated farms.

Its second city Basra has suffered destruction from wars, conflicts and neglects since the  1980s. Fao, which lies on the bank of  Shatt al-Arab delta near the Gulf, was hit hard due to its location on the frontline of  Iraq's  1980-88  war with Iran.

Abdil Atheem Mohammed of Basra's agriculture office said some 38,000 palm trees had died in the area since 2008.

Shortages of water which caused the rise of salty water tides hit agriculture hard in Basra and caused the fall in henna farms in Fao,'' he said.

A local government project has been trying to revive the plantations in the last two years by setting up a farm in northern Basra. During the collection season - January to April and then May - leaves are reaped every 45 days, and sold at local markets.

At a Basra saloon, customer Sara Ibrahim described Fao henna as ''a heritage.''

Iraq used to export the henna of Fao to the Gulf countries,'' she said as she got her hand decorated with henna. ''But is is difficult to get it nowadays.'' [Agencies]

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