March 31, 2003
Contact: Barry J. Donahue (509-963-1445/ fax 509-963-1206/e-mail: donahue@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - While the oppression Iraqi citizens have suffered
under Saddam Hussein has been widely publicized, less attention has
been focused on environmental damage done under his regime, including
the draining of marshes in southern Iraq over an area larger than the
Florida Everglades.
During the inaugural “William O. Douglas Lectures on the Environment”
at Central Washington University, Dr. Azzam Alwash will discuss “The
Garden of Eden: How Saddam Drained it and how Iraqis will Restore it.”
His free, public presentation, the first in a new series sponsored by
the CWU Douglas Honors College, is slated for April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in
the Samuelson Union Building Cesar E. Chavez Theatre.
Born in Kut, Iraq, about 60 miles southeast of Baghdad, Alwash came to
the U.S. in 1978 to take undergraduate courses at California Sate
University, Fullerton, and then graduate studies at the University of
Southern California, in civil engineering. He is now a principal at
Pacific Soils Engineering, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in
southern California geologic, geotechnical and environmental services.
In addition, Alwash is a member of the board of directors of Iraq
Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, non-governmental
organization dedicated to achieving democracy in Iraq, restorating
human and civil rights to Iraqis and for better international
understanding of Iraq’s potential as a contributor to political
stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
When it became apparent that the government of Iraq had set about
draining the marshes of southern Iraq, the Foundation sought to
publicize the plight of the Marsh Arabs, a community of 300,000 people
with a recorded culture that is at least 5,000 years old. These
persecuted people depended on the marshes for their livelihood, but
without water their way of life and their culture faced extermination,
according to Alwash.
As part of the mission of the Iraq Foundation, the “Eden Again”
project was initiated to create a team of international experts well
versed in the problem of restoring wetlands around the world. Team
members have reviewed available data and determined that restoration of
the marshes is possible, dependent on the amount of water available.
During his CWU presentation, Alwash will present a brief overview of
the Marsh Arab way of life pre-dating the draining that occurred
between 1992 and 1997, discuss how the drainage was achieved and convey
highlights of the plans for marsh restoration.
For more information about the free, public presentation, or for
persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call
(509) 963-1445, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.
