Iraq is facing a severe water shortage. this has left crop growers and fish farmers high & dry. Dumping of waste water and poor rainfall due to climate change also adds to their woes. They are losing their livelihoods, and there seems to be no solution in sight.

Iraq's water crisis drying up fish farming in Basra | WION Climate Tracker

Salah al-Mulla's debut as a 'tabla' player did not get much approval from neighbours whom he would wake up in the middle of the night while rehearsing his rhythms in a narrow street of his popular district in Iraq's southern city of Basra. But today, he and a team of musicians specialised in 'Khashaba' music are in high demand during popular celebrations and concerts.

'Khashaba' music and its rhythms from Basra

It all started after the coronavirus pandemic broke out and lockdowns prevented youth from Basra to take to the streets. Stuck at home, Mustafa Ibrahim, a student, started to watch skateboarding videos online. But when government-imposed restrictions started to ease, Ibrahim and a few of his friends took to the streets to practice this newly-discovered hobby.

Basra youth pioneer skateboarding in their city

Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad and Basra on Sunday (October 25) marking a year since anti-government unrest erupted across the country, and to put pressure on the government to meet their demands of improving living conditions, eradicating corruption and creating new jobs for the thousands of unemployed have yet to be realized.

Iraqis take to the streets on protest anniversary

At a time when most amusement parks and public swimming pools have been closed for weeks in Iraq, children from this Basra neighbourhood are discovering a new public garden with its doors wide open.

Iraqi transforms dumping ground into public garden

Iraq: Angry youth step up protest at 'slow pace of reforms'

Iraqi security forces kill one protester, wound 25: Report

US oil workers leave Iraq after air strike on Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani

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