Nearly Half Of Iraqi Marshlands Restored Through Joint Japanese-Italian Project - AFP

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A restoration project has revived nearly half Iraq's marshlands, which were drained by Saddam Hussein to punish the country's restive Shiite Muslim majority, the United Nations said Thursday. The project, which is funded by the Japanese and Italian governments, is aimed at restoring the traditions of the swampy southern region, which may have been the the Bible's Garden of Eden.

The UN Environment Program, which manages the project, announced in Tokyo that satellite data showed close to 50 percent of the marshlands had been restored.

"Improving the environment and improving the livelihoods of the people living there can only be a positive development in helping to bring about peace and security at least in that part of Iraq," said Robert Bisset, the UN agency's press officer.

An estimated 100,000 people have returned to the marshlands, which at their height were home to half a million people. The project has brought safe drinking water to some 22,000 people, according to the UN agency. Most marsh residents are Shiite Muslims, who form the majority in Iraq but were marginalized until the US-led invasion overthrew Saddam in 2003.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2006/061207101711.c6806z2l.html

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