'The green land is a barren desert': water scarcity hits Iraq's Fertile Crescent

An inefficient 8,000 year old irrigation system combined with mismanagement has worsened the effects of drought - and cattle and crops are dyingIn the heart of a region known as the Fertile Crescent, Abdul Hadi Mizher dug a well on his family farm. The Iraqi farmer drilled 16m into the hard earth. But despite the depth, not a single drop of water emerged.Iraq has had a particularly dry summer but Mizher's family have been here for four generations, growing wheat and vegetables and raising cows and this year is exceptional. Continue reading...