Bees, once buzzing in honey-producing Basra, hit by Iraq's water crisis

Bees once thrived among the date palms along the Shatt al-Arab, where Iraq's mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, but drought has shriveled the green trees and life in the apiaries that dot the riverbank is under threat.

In the historic port city of Basra, beekeepers following centuries-long traditions are struggling to produce honey as the salinity of water in Shatt al-Arab rises, along with extreme heat and persistent droughts that have disturbed the bees' delicate ecosystem.

"Bees need clean ... water. The lack of this water leads to their death," said Mahmoud Shaker, 61, a professor at Basra University who has his own apiary.

Basra was known for its honey

The banks of the Shatt al-Arab were once a lush jungle where bees would feast, producing high-quality honey that was a good source of income for Iraqi beekeepers in the southern city.

But decades of conflict and a changing climate have slowly diminished the greenery, putting the bee population at risk.

A drone view shows a section of a farm scorched by extreme heat, as rising temperatures have damaged beehives and led to a decline in honey production.

Less than a quarter of the palm trees on the riverbanks of Shatt al-Arab have survived, with fewer than 3 million trees now, from a peak of nearly 16 million. There were more than 4,000 beehives in at least 263 apiaries around the city, the assistant director of the Basra office in the agriculture ministry, Dr. Mohammed Mahdi Muzaal Al-Diraoui, told the media.

But due to conflict and the harsh environmental conditions, around 150 apiaries have been damaged and at least 2,000 hives lost, he said.

"Environmental conditions and salt water have harmed the bees, causing significant losses. Some beekeepers have completely lost their apiaries," Al-Diraoui said. As a result, honey production in the area is expected to decline by up to 50% this season compared to the previous year, Al-Diraoui said. At its peak, honey production from the Basra region was around 30 tons a year, he said, but has been declining since 2007-2008, falling sharply to 12 tons in the past five years, with production this season expected to reach just six tons.

Decades of war, and now a water crisis

Iraq has endured decades of warfare - from war with Iran in the 1980s, to the Gulf War of the early 1990s, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion followed by insurgent violence and rise and fall of the Islamic State group.

Its latest challenge, however, is a water shortage that is putting its whole ecology at risk. Water security has become a pressing issue in the oil-rich nation as levels in Euphrates and Tigris have declined sharply, worsened by upstream dams, mostly in Turkey.

For Shatt al-Arab that meant a surge of seawater from the Arabian Gulf into the waterway, raising salinity to unprecedented levels.

Mahmoud Shaker inspecting a honey frame. Photos: Reuters

Its riverbanks, once lined with groves rich in nectar and flowers, have been devastated as salinity levels soared, while bees also struggle with extreme heat, with summer temperatures in Basra reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), Shaker said.

As the salinity of Shatt al-Arab's water rises, the bee population remains at risk, and some areas on the riverbanks of southern Basra have already stopped production, Al-Diraoui said.

"I expect that if the water crisis continues at this rate over the next year, especially if salt water reaches areas in northern Basra, honey production will come to a complete halt."

Reuters