June 17 is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In Iraq, this is a major issue where more than half of the territory is considered in danger from the advance of the desert. The phenomenon, far from being new, is getting worse from year to year, causing violent sandstorms, particularly in summer.
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With our correspondent in Baghdad, Marie-Charlotte Roupie
Children from the village of Najem play outside despite the intense heat. But quickly, the wind picks up. A sandstorm arrived. In an instant, the air becomes unbreathable. Blinded, Abbas, 15, takes refuge in the village school, buried under a dune: “ Do you see all this sand, which comes from there? What can we do ? That’s what sandstorms are. We barely live. The earth buries us. I say to myself: continue, wait a little and leave… » Many others left before him.
Nearly a quarter of Iraqi territory suffers from desertification, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, and more than half risks being affected. To counter this, arrangements are being put in place. Mounds of earth are erected as a barrier to the sand which advances with the wind.
Read alsoDesertification: the phenomenon is not inevitable
Rahim Naami, technical director, supervises the work of the excavators, a few kilometers from the village of Abbas: “ In certain areas, 30 mounds were created in an area of 600 hectares which were covered with clay. It changed everything. Once it is covered, we plant prosopis, which are resistant to high temperatures. »
Plant choice matters in a country where it is estimated that 25% of water resources will have disappeared in 2030. Despite some efforts, the authorities recognize that these projects are largely insufficient.
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