29 April -05 May 2013 - orsam

In the 1990s, he became one of 175,000 marshland Iraqis who were displaced by the Hussein
regime's effort to drain the marshes.
Their restoration has allowed Ali to return to take up his former trade as a fisherman, but it is not an
easy transition for him and his family.
"The situation has improved now [since the era of Hussein's rule]. But many who had been fishermen
are not interested in returning because they think it is better to live and work in the cities," Ali says.
"They are no longer thinking about the marshes as the land of their fathers and grandfathers -- as a
land for hunting and fishing and agriculture. Most of them have become accustomed to the city
lifestyle and would rather live in the cities than return to the marshes."
Others, too, are reestablishing their roots in the hope they can make a living the way their ancestors
did.
Hasan Jum'a has built an arched reed house there on a small, floating islet that he constructed from
reeds, mud, and rushes -- much like ancient Mesopotamian marsh inhabitants built their homes.
"We hope that the marshes will be completely restored to the way they were before because the
Chibayish inhabitants depend on them for grass and fish," Jum'a says. "Most of their livelihood
comes from nature here and on the birds that come through for about two months every year. Without
the marshes, there would be nothing to benefit the people here -- no water buffalo, no grass for
livestock, no fish, and no birds."
'Now We Can Fish Again'
In the Maysan marshes east of Chibayish, one woman tells RFE/RL that this year's record winter
rainfall was a blessing.
"The animals are now doing well. The fish have returned with the increase of water," she says. "In
Saddam's time, we really suffered. We were displaced and went through dire times. But now we can
Page 15