Shatt al-Arab basin

To feed and cool his buffaloes, Hashem Gassed must cross 10 kilometers of sunburnt land in southern Iraq, where drought is devastating swathes of the mythical Mesopotamian Marshes.

The small motorboat chugging through southern Iraq's marshes is similar to those tourists use to explore the vast swamplands, the reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden.

Thousands of dead birds have been recently collected from the marshes of the eastern province of Van, raising concerns among locals.