Baghdad – WAA – Nassar Al-Hajj
Today, Monday, the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Agricultural Affairs, Hussein Al-Wasiti, announced an increase in releases into Al-Huwaiza Marsh, as part of rapid executive measures following the death of a number of fish in the marsh.
Al-Wasiti told the (INA): “The team assigned by the Prime Minister visited Al-Huwaizah Marsh in Maysan Governorate to follow up on the fish deaths, headed by the team, the agricultural advisor, and the membership of representatives of the Ministries of Water Resources, Agriculture and Environment.”
He added, “The team also included the head of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Iraq office and a number of the organization’s experts.”
He added, “After the field tour, it became clear that the reason for the fish deaths was the low oxygen levels due to high temperatures and the crowding of fish in shallow water areas, accompanied by a lack of water releases due to the scarcity of revenues from the upstream countries, and the violation of the water quotas of the marshes.”
He continued, “Several rapid executive measures were taken to increase the incoming water releases, as directed by the technical representative of the Ministry of Water Resources who accompanied the team.”
He pointed out that “a meeting was held with representatives of fishermen, residents of the area, and environmental activists in the area to discuss the reasons that led to the death of the fish and to develop quick and future solutions to prevent its occurrence in the future.”