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  • Water and its Infrastructure are not Weapons of War, Protect Civilians’ Right to Water in Iraq

    from ICSSI on Jul 15, 2014 09:23 AM 
    *Water and its Infrastructure are not Weapons of War, Protect Civilians’
Right to Water in Iraq *



Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign

Tuesday 15 July 2014



The Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign is concerned that parties
involved in the current conflict in Iraq and Syria might resort to using
water and its infrastructure as a weapon of war. Over the past weeks,
several news stories have reported that parties in the conflict, be they
related to the government or to insurgents, may be marking the water
infrastructure as possible military targets in the struggle to gain control
over Iraq’s water supply.  Insurgents now control some upper parts of the
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in Iraq. Whoever controls the water
installations in the north, whether dams, desalination plants, sewage or
other aspects of the infrastructure, can control the water supply to
Baghdad and the southern parts of the country. Should a decrease - or a
cut-off - in water for Southern Iraq occur, there would be huge crises in
health and sanitation.



Water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is shared by Turkey, Syria and
Iraq. Over the past years Turkey has taken control over water flowing into
Syria and Iraq through the use of big dams — without any negotiations with
the governments of Syria and Iraq.  This has resulted in a water shortage,
especially for the Iraqi people. The population of all of Iraq, including
Kurdistan, is completely dependent upon two dams in northern Iraq. These
dams are the two largest contributors to hydro-electric power in Iraq. The
area around the Haditha dam (Euphrates) is currently the site of an
insurgent offensive, while the Mosul Dam (Tigris), just 45 miles outside of
Mosul city, is now on the frontline of the conflict. Both dams could be
used to control access to drinking water and water used for farm
irrigation. The electricity produced by the dams, upon which the whole
country is dependent, is also vulnerable. If dam failure occurs, which is
not unthinkable in such a fierce conflict, large areas might be flooded,
including parts of Mosul and other cities.



Over the past few months, areas between Baghdad and Fallujah, such as the
Abu Ghrib district, suffered from flooding after insurgents took control of
Falujha dam, a small dam near Baghdad. This has also created water scarcity
in many Iraqi cities south Baghdad. More recently, insurgents cut water
provision from Mosul to many towns of the Niniveh plains. Enclaves where
minorities live, such as Qaraqosh with its 40.000 inhabitants, have been
left without any water source and without electricity to pump it from local
wells.



Thus, the Iraqis now live with the compound fear of both a water shortage
and of flooding.



This Campaign opposes the deliberate manipulation of water as a means to
steer or to gain control over the crises. This kind of action directly
violates international humanitarian law. Access to water is a fundamental
human right which should not be treated as a weapon. This Campaign also
believes that targeting cultural heritage sites on the rivers of Iraq
should be avoided at all costs. During the 1980s parts of the Marshes were
drained in the Iraq-Iran conflict and the negative impact of this drainage
continues to be felt today. We therefore ask all parties involved in the
crisis to protect all cultural end environmental heritage sites in Iraq.



The Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign calls upon *all parties
involved in the conflict*:

1.      to refrain from using water, and water-related infrastructure, as a
weapon of war.

2.      to guarantee access to safe water to all people of Iraq.





The Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign calls upon *Iraqi (central
and Kurdish) and Syrian authorities*:

1.      to provide protection for the water infrastructure in their
territories by seeking out and cultivating an open dialogue with local
communities and local actors in areas of conflict.

2.      to respect their obligation to provide basic human rights,
including water, to civilians in conflict areas without discrimination.

3.      to protect all cultural and environmental heritage sites on
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.



The Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign calls upon the *Security
Council and the international community:*

1.      to be accountable to their responsibilities as established by the
UN Charter to protect international peace by calling for an international
forum to discuss threats related to water in Iraq and Syria, involving
regional actors and the Turkish government.

2.      to hold accountable any party which inflicts damages that
contribute to humanitarian crises due to the use of water and its
infrastructure as a military instrument.



The Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign also calls upon *local
communities, national and international organizations and activists* to
monitor the conditions of Iraq’s rivers and water infrastructure in order
to provide an early warning system should problems arise, and to document
any damages or war crimes.





*For more information write to *icssi.project@...* , or contact:*



Ismaeel Dawood: +39 3291345117

Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative



Ercan Ayboga: +491637577847

e.ayboga@...

Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive



Johanna L.Rivera:

johanna.rivera56@...

Save the Tigris Campaign



 visit our page
<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/campaigns/save-the-tigris-and-iraqi-marshes-campaign>



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