Iraqi lakes bounce back

Over the past three decades, several of the greatest lakes have experienced fluctuating water levels due to droughts, dam management and conflict. Two lakes in particular — Milh and Habbaniyah—experienced significant drops in water levels and have lost much of their reputation as bustling resort areas.

Satellite images now show that both lakes are filling up. The natural color images above show Lake Milh on August 16, 2018 (left) versus August 21, 2020 (right). The red color is most likely due to the presence of algae and bacteria with red pigments; a similar phenomenon occurs in a lake in neighboring Iran. The images were captured by the Operational terrestrial imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. Older satellite images suggest that the lake has has not appeared as complete since 2009, although 2015 is near.

Lake Milh, also known as Lake Razzaza, was completed in the 1970s to receive excess water from Lake Habbaniya during the flood season. Milh was one of Iraq’s largest lakes and a popular recreation area in the 1980s. The islands within the lake played an important role breeding grounds for many birds, like the flamingo.

But due to droughts and link waterway closures, water levels have started to drop. The lake’s changing water levels and increasing salinity have caused several species of fish to disappear. Tourism has also declined as the lake and neighboring communities have suffered from drought and war.

The image above shows Lake Habbaniya (also known as Lake Ramadi), as observed by Landsat 8. In the 1980s, Habbaniya was also a popular tourist destination. However, the seaside resort suffered after several conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s. Companies have since tried to revive the resort by rebuilding the facilities.

The reasons for recent increases in water levels are unclear. Preliminary satellite data on precipitation analysis and ground station data show no obvious flooding near the lakes recently, but heavy rains fell in places further upstream in northern and central Iraq this year. In addition, there may have been changes in the way water is stored and released upstream from dams along the Euphrates. Dams and reservoirs along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers can dramatically alter the amount of water in places further downstream. In 2019, the Mosul Dam Lake in northern Iraq showed a similar increase in water levels, due to a combination of heavy rains and changes in dam management.

The Iraqi National Investment Commission has taken an interest in the restoration of Habbaniya and Milh. In January 2018, the group unveiled an investment of $ 25 million project to develop areas with hotels, a marina and an amusement park.

Images from NASA’s Earth Observatory by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the United States Geological Survey. History of Kasha Patel.