Context: Iraq’s famous and prominent Lake Sawa has dried up for the first time in its centuries-long history and locals believe that it is due to mismanagement by local investors, government neglect and climate change.
- Sawa Lake is an endorheic basin located in the Iraqi governorate of Muthanna near to the Euphrates River
- This lake has no inlet or outlet, but it draws water from the Euphrates through a system of joint cracks and fissures which transport water to aquifers beneath it.
- The water’s level fluctuates during dry and wet seasons
- Sawa Lake is characterized by arid climate
- Because of its saline water, no plants grow in the lake or on its shores. Fish and algae are the most important aquatic organisms.
- Historical Links:
- Lake Sawa appears in some old Islamic texts.
- It is said the lake miraculously formed on the day the Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 A.D.
- Recognition:
- In 2014, Lake Sawa was named a Ramsar site, an international designation for important wetlands, gaining recognition as a rare area in need of protection.
