On a cracked dry spot in Iraq’s historic marshlands, Raheem Noor Dawood watched helplessly as his water buffaloes fell sick and died.
“We went through tough years before but the drought and the high temperature that we have seen this year were unparalleled,” Mr Dawood, 57, told The National.
A few years ago, Mr Dawood enjoyed a stable life.
His 35-member extended family had settled in an area where freshwater was abundant for their buffaloes — the main source of livelihood for Marshland Arabs — as well as fish and birds.
“But the drought this year has turned our life upside down,” Mr Dawood said. “We have been moving from one place to another seeking fresh water and grass for our cattle.”
Iraq is facing its worst environmental crisis, with acute water shortages and climate change affecting food security and the daily life of Iraqis, adding to the nation’s endemic woes.
The shock waves reverberate across the country, with farmers struggling with scarcity of water and rising salinity in soil and water as a result of consecutive heatwaves during the summer when temperatures hovered around 50°C for days.
The country is expected to record a 2ºC increase in temperatures and a further 9 per cent decline in rainfall by 2050, according to the Climate Change Knowledge Portal, a hub for climate-related information, data, and tools for the World Bank Group.
Vulnerable communities who rely on agriculture, livestock and fishing bear the brunt of the effects when there is no support from the government.
Iraq’s wetlands inhabitants are among the communities hardest hit.
Environmental activist Ayad Al Assadi blamed poor rainfall, soaring temperatures that have led to unprecedented levels of evaporation and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran for the drought in the marshlands.
Since the end of April, the wetlands in southern and south-eastern Iraq have lost 60 centimetres in depth and about 34 per cent of the total area, about 4,000 square kilometres, has been hit by the drought, affecting the biodiversity and livelihood, Mr Al Assadi said.
In some areas, the water contains an estimated 12,000 milligrams of total dissolved solids, a measure of salinity, affecting people and animals, he said. The acceptable level is 2,400 to 2,600.
“The drought has brought us sad and painful scenes,” he told The National, standing in a sprawling arid area in the central marshes in the town of Chebayesh, which was fully covered with water before April.
In 2016, the marshes, thought to be the biblical Garden of Eden, were named a Unesco world heritage.
For Mr Dawood, this is not the first time he has been affected by drought.
During the 1980-1988 war with Iran, Saddam Hussein drained the marshes to facilitate the movement of the military, and in the 1990s the regime initiated another campaign after accusing Marsh Arabs of supporting a 1991 Shiite uprising.
Then, Mr Dawood moved north with his cattle, outside the city of Kirkuk and to areas in central Iraq before heading back to his homeland, which was reflooded after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Hussein’s regime.
He has so far lost five of his buffaloes to the lack of grass and high salinity. He makes daily trips to the nearby city to buy potable water and fodder.
“This drought has knocked us down to zero,” he said, as a result, he plans to move to another place soon.
The rainfall and water availability in Iraq’s 2020-2021 winter season are the second-lowest on record in 40 years, according to a report issued this month by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
At the regional level, lack of rainfall exacerbated existing tensions over the management of water resources, the report says.
The report analysed the period between November 2020 and May 2021 to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food security in Iraq, with a special section on water shortages.
“Water shortages have caused below normal vegetation development, and are affecting crop yields,” the report says, citing an FAO estimation that by the end of the season, wheat production will be 70 per cent lower and barley production negligible in volume.
The expected economic effects of the below-average cereal production in 2021, it adds, are: loss of income, increased feed prices of barley and other livestock feed products for livestock producers; and increased import requirements.
Abbas Hameed Hashim lost eight of his 20 buffaloes this summer.
“Without any government move to subsidise the fodder, all our cattle will be gone this winter,” Mr Hashim, 30, said.
“It’s highly likely the situation will get worse,” the father of nine said.
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
SUZUME
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
LOVE%20AGAIN
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate