How This Iraqi Man Is Trying To Save His Country’s Rivers

Iraq’s vital waterways suffered a great deal from pollution and the conflicts of the past three decades. Nabil Musa, who spent his childhood during the years of conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan, still felt lucky to have lived by these rivers. However, as he returned to his homeland after having spent many years in exile, he was devastated to see the damage the rivers suffered.

“I really wanted to do something about the river we lost when I was a child,” Musa said.

He has been spending the past seven years traveling on Iraqi Kurdistan's rivers, often on a paddle board or in a raft, to promote the importance of clean waterways for current and future generations.

He uses water sports such as paddling and kayaking to attract people’s attention and then talks to them about the importance of the rivers, which often function as a dumping ground in war-torn Iraq.

“When they see you with this paddle board, paddling around, and they just want to see, ‘What the hell is going on? This guy is crazy.’ . . . It’s really a good trick to do something, to attract them. And when you go to them, they’re not bothered. They don’t get disturbed, they want to hear what you’re saying. What we say is, please, take care of your garbage, this is our lifeblood. If we don’t have this water, how can we survive?” Musa said.

Musa is part of Waterkeepers Iraq, an NGO that advocates and works “to protect the rivers, streams and waterways of Iraq and support local communities in the sustainable use of these natural resources.”