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“The New Eden: Water Resource Management in Postwar Iraq,” Italian Ministry of the Environment and Territory, September 2003 to April 2004. The general objective of this project was to focus on the identification of key water management problems and to develop a priority action plan to improve the quality of life and the environment in southern Iraq. The results of the project were presented in a report entitled "The New Eden Project: Final Report," presented at the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development CSD-12 meeting in New York, April 14-30.

Data Gathering and Organization. The New Eden team contacted relevant organizations to gather and review the available water resources and water infrastructure in Iraq over the last 50 years. This task: 1) provided a quick assessment of the existing conditions, to allow for identification of areas where critical conditions call for urgent actions in the short term, 2) provided recommendations for obtaining additional data to assist Iraq in optimizing its management of water resources in the medium and long-term; and 3) evaluated possible actions, using a multi-disciplinary approach that would have a great impact on improving the lives of Iraqis in the short and long-term.

The water resources data collected included data on water inflow and outflow, stream flow, water control structures, water management protocols, water quality in reservoirs and streams, groundwater resources and climatic data. Information was also gathered on water supply and sanitation infrastructure, concentrating efforts on those areas that are facing a major emergency with respect to the supply of clean drinking water. Data was also collected to estimate the quantities of water needed for potable water, municipal supply, irrigation, and industrial use. These data were available through the results of a water budget model currently under development by Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources.

Water Management System Model. Iraq is an arid region where little water is provided by rainfall inside the country. The water resources optimization policy will have to be coordinated with international water resources issues, and with domestic demands for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses along with environmental rehabilitation. This project included the development of a modeling strategy to check for water availability in southern Iraq, and the development of a general hydrodynamic model of the Central and Hammar Marshes. The numerical analyses that were conducted to support the development of a water mangement system model included: 1) the evaluation of historical hydrological records to describe rainfall precipitations, water stage and flow, evaporation and infiltration along the main rivers and distributaries in Iraq; 2) evaluation of the hydrological network in and around Iraq to identify critical control points ; 3) evaluation of physical data such as maps, digital elevation models, and hydraulic infrastructure for the specific purposes of numerical modeling; and 4) setting a firm number of hydraulic scenarios to analyze and defining a common and easily replicable strategy to use in the evaluation of each scenario.

Identification of Immediate Cost-Effective Actions. One of the primary goals of this project was to identify immediate actions that could improve the lives of Iraqis through water resources management. The New Eden working group identified two immediate projects that the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Territory will sponsor.

The first project is concerned with monitoring the Abu Zirig Marsh. This marsh we re-flooded in May at the request of the local Marsh Dwellers. Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources breached the embankment that was preventing water flow to the marsh. Consequently, the deeper portions of the marsh has been reflooded and hydraulic flow-through has been achieved. Currently, about 60 square kilometers have been restored. Marshland vegetation has emerged over most of the re-flooded marshland. Monitoring of the Abu Zirig Marsh will include hydrologic modeling, ecological monitoring and restoration, and the monitoring of water quality. This task also includes a significant component of capacity building including the involvement of a significant number of Iraqi scientists.

The second project involves a Feasibility Study for Potable Water in the Qurnah-Basrah-Nasriyah Triangle. This feasibility study wil focus on optimising the use of readily available energy resources and brackish water to provide employment opportunities and to supply potable water to the communities of southern Iraq. In addition, this project will increase the availability of fresh water in the area, thus contributing to the restoration of the marshlands. The project will evaluate the feasibility of recovering energy from natural gas that is currently flared from the oilfields of the south, and use that energy for desalination of brackish water in the rivers of southern Iraq.

Master Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Marshlands Area. From the initial outcome of the New Eden team’s completed work in the marshlands, a critical need has been identified for integrated water resources management in southern Iraq as an integral component of developing a Sustainable Restoration Plan (SRP) for the Iraqi Marshlands.

By February 2003, only 5% of the marshlands remained. As of June 2004, approximately 40% of the marshlands have been re-flooded through the direct actions of the Marsh Dwellers and of Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). The MoWR has declared marshland restoration its highest priority. This reflooding, however, has occurred without the benefit of planning and therefore results have been mixed. The establishment of hydraulic connections and wildlife corridors between the marshlands, the rivers, and the Gulf are vitally critical to the long-term health of the Mesopotamian Marshlands; these connections and corridors cannot be established without overall planning.

The purpose of the Sustainable Restoration Plan is to provide a framework within which smaller-scale restoration projcts can be evaluated and implemented. The preparation of a Sustainable Restoration Plan for the Mesopotamian Marshlands involves:

The deliverable from this task will be a Sustainable Restoration Plan (SRP) that is scientifically valid and accepted by both local and international communities. The SRP must be developed in collaboration with the Center for Restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands (CRIM) which is the lead agency for restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands. The New Eden working group, through the Iraq Foundation, is a member of the CRIM Steering Committee. The SRP should be developed in partnership and collaboration with other interested parties and donors, including other appropriate Iraqi Ministries, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations Environmental Program, the Canadian International Development Agency, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Outreach and Capacity-Building Programs. The New Eden Project has involved significant components of outreach to the local and international communities, and building the capacityof Iraqi scientists and engineers for water resources management.

At the local level, all field work has involved the critical component of local support through consultation, and hiring local guides and experts. Twelve field expeditions were undertaken between August 2003 and March 2004. Italian engineers and scientists have been involved in many of these expeditions. The input that we have received from the local Marsh Dwellers has guided and informed the development of the Immediate Action Plan. The enthusiasm of the Marsh Dwellers for marshland restoration is testified by satellite images showing that 40% of the marshlands have been reflooded through their efforts.

At a national level, the New Eden/Eden Again project has involved Iraqi scientists and engineers from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Ministry of Environment; and from the University of Basrah, Mustanseria University, and Baghdad University. The Iraqi component of manpower has steadily increased, and by June 2004 there are 16 full-time Iraqi employees working on the project.

At the international level, the New Eden/Eden Again team has worked towards continued internationalization of the efforts for marshland restoration. The New Eden project was presented at the sixth UNEP round table meeting on the environment of Iraq in November 2003. Meetings with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and with Japanese diplomatic envoys resulted in addiitonal multimillion dollars of funding targeted for assistance with environmental restoration in Iraq (CIDA funding through the University of Waterloo and Japan funding through the United Nations Environmental Program). The New Eden team participated in the February 2004 reconnaissance field trip undertaken by U.S. AID, and continues to coordinate its work with their efforts. The NewEden/Eden Again project also testified before the U.S. Congress requesting funding for the Center for Restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands in support of developing a Sustainable Restoration Plan. The New Eden/Eden Again team worked closely with CIDA in developing a workshop to be held in Amman, Jordan, in June 2004, involving the Iraqi scientific and engineering community to assist CIDA in determing priority spending for their project.

The New Eden team has also worked closely with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Sustainable Partnerships program. The project was presented to the UN Sustainable Partnerships Forum in Rome in March 2003, and the Partnerships Workshop in New York in April 2003. A proposal to designate the Feasibility Study for Potable Water as an official Sustainable Partnership between the Italian and Iraqi governments and the Iraq Foundation and other NGOs is being developed.

The New Eden/Eden Again project has worked towards coordination and integration with other international conservation, scientific, and humanitarian organizations, including: BirdLife International, the Sierra Club, ProNatura, Wetlands International, World Wildlife Fund, Amar Appeal, International Organizaiton for Migration, Scientific groups include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the American Association of Civil Engineers, the International Society of Wetlands Scientists, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.