In Iraq, heal the land, you also heal the people

Iraq may never heal if the ground is not cleaned up. Two years after the fall of Mosul, and five since the rise of Bakr al Baghdadi to the steps of the Grand alNouri Mosque, now reduced to rubble, and the country is nowhere near restoration. And without it, Iraq is more susceptible to tribal divisions and another outbreak for war.

Environmentalism is a vital part of restoring Iraq. The more contaminated the land is, the less farmers are able to cultivate and rebuild. The more dead bodies lay under the wreckage and the more trash is left in the streets, the more it weighs on people’s ability to get back to a normal existence and keeps them in the camps, the more it will renew their fight for survival — which can lead to division and further conflict.

Looking at some of the specifics, a few months before the official battle for Mosul began; Daesh fled Qayyarra and, on its way out, set the oil rigs on fire. When the Iraqi army pushed Daesh fighters farther into Mosul, the militant group set two more on fire, in hopes of covering its tracks.

The blaze sent smoke into the air and covered the sky with dark black clouds. The rich resources from the land were used as a weapon by Daesh, who were desperate for control. And even though it was defeated militarily, thousands suffered anyway. Civilians suffered from inhalation and respiratory problems. Farmers could no longer use their land, and the poor sheep raised by Iraqis were covered in black soot, struggling to find fresh grass to eat.

Mosul remains under wreckage, which can cause injury moving through the streets, the trash left can create gasses in the atmosphere — again, creating health problems.

Deep in the south of the country, a Human Rights Watch report was released on the dire need of water in Basra, which has been neglected for nearly three decades and takes us back to the first Gulf War. The report stated the Shatt al-Arab River water is so polluted, Iraqis are buying water.

And a lack of water supply means higher costs and without proper jobs to pay for their needs, they can be subject to disease, dehydration and related illnesses. And people who are sick, thirsty, hungry, living without a way to cultivate and take care of their land are susceptible to tribal militias, who band together in the name of survival.

This year, an article in the journal Global Environmental Change stated that climate change was largely responsible for the migration of various populations. It noted “sea level, change in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and cyclones, changes in rainfall patterns, increases in temperature and changes in atmospheric chemistry,” were driving people away from their homes. It is putting “pressure on infrastructure, economic resources and social services in the urban areas,” which results in competition for capital and survival.

Little has been done to help develop Iraq; the farmland was destroyed and families have been painfully slow to return. It’s understandable, from oil to violence, they don’t want to go back to their homes, only to run again, to bleed again. Their bodies are already infected, and they cannot take anymore. They’re weary and exhausted.

And we cannot blame them. In the past three decades, the international community has contributed to and perpetuated the environmental downfall of the country, and then seen the rise of divided communities. This goes to show the international community should be responsible for contributing to the healing process.

While international funding has gone toward reconstruction efforts, how much is allocated to cleaning up the land seems scarce. If military presence and relief aid can be replaced with development of environmental testing, recycling programs, agricultural investment and medical care, Iraq has a chance for healing. They have a chance to thrive as a country.

Their recovery begins, though, with the restoration of what seems to only be on the surface, and that in turn goes much deeper to restoring a grieving people.

The more dead bodies lay under the wreckage and the more trash is left in the streets, the more it weighs on people’s ability to get back to a normal existence

CARL COURT GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO A boy bikes past an oil field that was set on fire by retreating Daesh fighters in Qayyarah, Iraq, in 2016. The rich resources from the land were used as a weapon by Daesh, who were desperate for control, Ash Gallagher writes.

Ash Gallagher is a journalist who has spent the past seven years in the Mideast, including two in Iraq.