NAJAF: Iraqi authorities on Monday launched a probe into a mass die-off of fish in the southern marshlands, the latest in a string of such events in recent years.
One possible cause for the localized die-off could be a shortage of oxygen sparked by low water flow, increased evaporation and rising temperatures fueled by climate change.
Another possible reason could be chemicals used by fishermen to make it easier to catch their prey, local officials and activists told AFP.
AFP images showed large quantities of silver fish floating in the marshlands of Ibn Najm near the southern city of Najaf.
Buffaloes could be seen surrounded by dead fish, trying to cool themselves off in the water.
“We have received several citizens’ complaints,” said chief environmental officer in Najaf, Jamal Abd Zeid, adding that a technical inspection team had been set up.
An AFP photographer at the site saw a team of civil servants collecting water from the marshland.
Among the issues the team was tasked with probing, Abd Zeid said, were a shortage of water, electrical fishing and the use by fishermen of “poisons.”
For at least five years, Iraq has been hit by successive droughts fueled by climate change.
Authorities also blame the construction of dams by neighboring Iran and Turkiye for the drastic drop in flow in Iraq’s rivers.
The destruction of Iraq’s natural environment is only the latest layer of suffering imposed on a country that has endured decades of war and political oppression.
“We need lab tests to determine the exact cause” of the fish die-off, said environmental activist Jassim Assadi.
A lack of oxygen caused by low water flow, heat, evaporation and wind were all possible reasons, he said.
He said agricultural pesticides could also have led to the mass die-off.
Probes into other similar events showed the use of poison in fishing led to mass deaths.
“It is dangerous for public health, as well as for the food chain,” Assadi said.
“Using poison today, then again in a month or two... It’s going to accumulate.”
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Iraq probes fish die-off in southern marshes
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Iraq probes fish die-off in southern marshes
Thieves steal ancient Roman-era statues from the national museum in Syria
- Security had been boosted with metal gates and surveillance cameras after the war started
- The theft occurred Sunday night, with a broken door found in the classical department. Both officials spoke anonymously, and the government has not yet made a statement
DAMASCUS: Thieves broke into the national museum in the Syrian capital and stole several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era, officials said Tuesday.
The National Museum of Damascus was temporarily closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum reopened in January as the country is reeling from the 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule last year.
The museum in central Damascus, the country’s largest, houses invaluable antiquities dating back to Syria’s long history. After the war started, security was boosted with metal gates and surveillance cameras.
An official from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums told The Associated Press that six marble statues were stolen, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
Another official told AP that the theft occurred Sunday night and was discovered early Monday, when one of the doors at the classical department was found broken and several statues dating back to the Roman era were missing. The official refused to give an exact number.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations because the government has not yet made a statement.
On Tuesday morning, an AP journalist tried to enter the museum and was told by security guards that it was closed. They refused to answer questions about the theft.
The section of the museum where the statues were reported stolen is “a beautiful and historically-rich department with artifacts dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,” said Maamoun Abdulkarim, the former head of the government’s antiquities and museums department.
The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering in a new era for the country. Fearful of looting, the museum in Damascus closed after the lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad’s family rule.
After Syria’s conflict began in March 2011, authorities had moved hundreds of priceless artifacts to Damascus from different parts of the country, including the historic central town of Palmyra that was once held by members of the Daesh group.
In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.
The National Museum of Damascus was temporarily closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum reopened in January as the country is reeling from the 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule last year.
The museum in central Damascus, the country’s largest, houses invaluable antiquities dating back to Syria’s long history. After the war started, security was boosted with metal gates and surveillance cameras.
An official from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums told The Associated Press that six marble statues were stolen, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
Another official told AP that the theft occurred Sunday night and was discovered early Monday, when one of the doors at the classical department was found broken and several statues dating back to the Roman era were missing. The official refused to give an exact number.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations because the government has not yet made a statement.
On Tuesday morning, an AP journalist tried to enter the museum and was told by security guards that it was closed. They refused to answer questions about the theft.
The section of the museum where the statues were reported stolen is “a beautiful and historically-rich department with artifacts dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,” said Maamoun Abdulkarim, the former head of the government’s antiquities and museums department.
The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering in a new era for the country. Fearful of looting, the museum in Damascus closed after the lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad’s family rule.
After Syria’s conflict began in March 2011, authorities had moved hundreds of priceless artifacts to Damascus from different parts of the country, including the historic central town of Palmyra that was once held by members of the Daesh group.
In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.
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