First Stage of Wastewater garden is realized
The Eden in Iraq Wastewater Garden project is designing and implementing a large constructed wetland to treat the sewage of 8,000 Marsh Arabs who live in El Chibaish, Iraq in the southern marshlands.
Starting in 2011, we networked widely in the region, gaining the support of local Marsh Arab town councils, the provincial government in Nasariyah and the ministries of the Environment and Water Resources. Local people know all too well the disastrous situation with discharge of untreated sewage and were equally enthusiastic about a low-cost, ecological approach to sewage treatment by creating beautiful constructed wetlands. The Iraqi government appreciates that after the pilot project in El Chibaish, this approach can be used throughout the country, which in general lacks effective sewage treatment.
In the past few years, we accomplished significant milestones in the effort to realize the Eden in Iraq Wastewater Garden at El Chibaish in the southern Iraq marshes. We signed an agreement with the Center for Restoration of Iraqi Marshes and Wetlands (CRIMW) and the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources has backed the project and financed the construction of first-stage treatment pools with native Iraq wetland reeds.
From 2011-2015 we networked widely in the region, gaining the support of local Marsh Arab town councils, the provincial government in Nasariyah and the ministries of the Environment and Water Resources. Local people know all too well the disastrous situation with discharge of untreated sewage and were equally enthusiastic about a low-cost, ecological approach to sewage treatment by creating beautiful constructed wetlands. The Iraqi government appreciates that after the pilot project in El Chibaish, this approach can be used throughout the country, which in general lacks effective sewage treatment.
Our project will bring important health and environmental benefits by pioneering the ecological treatment and reuse of wastewater which currently pollutes the marshes and rivers, endangering the Marsh Arab people and the marshes they depend on. In the second phase, we will create a culturally and aesthetically significant environmental and cultural heritage site in the heart of the Fertile Crescent.
The Eden in Iraq Wastewater Garden project was chosen as one of UNESCO’s Green Citizen Projects. Please see our website (www.EdeninIraq.com) for detailed information about the rest of our team, garden design, numerous events, activities, and many articles in our bibliography section.
A Thank You to our Supporters and Sponsors
We are deeply grateful to the many people and organizations that have supported us through our planning stages in the past years. These include the town councils of El Chibaish, Al Manar, and Al Fahoud and the municipalities of Nasariyah and Basra. Our in country partner is Nature Iraq, founded by Azzam Alwash. Jassim Al-Asadi, associate director, manages operations in southern Iraq.
It is important to thank as well the School of Art, Design, and Media(ADM) at Nanyang Technological University(NTU) in Singapore for our first and substantial funding to research and establish this project in Iraq(2013-17). During this time we sustained a detailed design practice to produce the drawings for the entire project.
Our non-profit Institute of Ecotechnics (I.E.), is the project’s fiscal sponsor. I.E. has a Wastewater Garden division that collaborates with Wastewater Gardens International (WWG-I), founded by team member, Dr. Mark Nelson, which includes our co-director, Dr. Davide Tocchetto. Blue Tech Research, Ireland and Vancouver, who consults on innovations in the water industry and are our strategic impact partners
