Rain Brings Life Back to Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes

Winter rains revived southern Iraq’s Huwaizah/Hawizeh marshes, with about 85% submerged as water levels rise after years of drought blamed on climate change and upstream damming; reservoirs on the Tigris are near capacity and Euphrates inflows from Syria could follow, offering renewed life for fish, water buffalo and migratory birds, though the ecosystem remains fragile and dependent on sustained water flows and protections.