AMARAH, 22 August (IRIN) - Hasan Aloki, a marsh Arab, looked at his empty boat after a long working day and gave a big sigh.

"Years ago I was filling this boat with good fish and supporting my family with good food by selling my daily catch, but after years of suppression from the ex-regime and the slow re-flooding of the marshes we are still struggling," he said.

There are increasing calls for quicker flooding and rehabilitation of Iraq's southern marshlands in Amarah, due to rising unemployment and delays in the return of the marsh Arabs.

The 20,000 sq km area has, for the last 5,000 years, been home to various livelihoods such as farming, fishing, hunting, reed gathering and the grazing of water buffalo.

But the area was drained in 1991 when former president Saddam Hussein gave authorisation for blocking water supplies to the area as punishment over those responsible in the south for the Shi'ite uprising in the same year.

As a result thousands left the area for neighbouring countries or elsewhere in Iraq.

Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne (MEP), European Parliamentary Rapporteur on Iraq and chairperson for the Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees (AMAR) NGO, told a July conference in London that the draining of the southern Iraqi marshes was "a humanitarian and cultural catastrophe as much as an ecological one."

Since July 2003, more than six projects have been developed by AMAR and the United Nations, who are taking the lead role, to assist the marshland people, but much more is required to guarantee a future for some 30,000 local residents.{mosgoogle right}

Local people say their lives have not changed much since the fall of Saddam's oppressive regime, as little has changed in the marshes so far.

"We were persecuted at the time of Saddam Hussein's regime and now we are still suffering economically. We do not have good land and water for farming and most of our cows and buffalos have died. All we have received from the government is empty promises," Hameed Jasim from al-Gindalah marshlands said.

About 230,000 people were living in the marshlands in 1991, according to the Ministry of Human Rights.

The number of marsh Arabs still living there today is believed to be fewer than 30,000. International aid organisations estimate that more than 130,000 were displaced inside the country and another 75,000 entered neighbouring Iran as refugees. Officials add that statistics are vague due difficulty in gathering information under poor security.

POOR INVESTMENT AFFECTING PROGRESS

Approximately 20 percent of the marshes have been re-flooded since April 2003, according to Abdul Kareem Qassim, director of the agriculture directorate in the southern city of Amarah and home to the marshlands said.

"There has been poor investment so far and the increase in our requirements for security has meant that money has been spent on that instead of development in the area," Chasib al-Marsomi, general director of Rehabilitation and Development of the Marshes (RDM) in Amarah said.

About 12 NGOs, four of which are international, have been trying to help people in the marshlands, but corruption has been difficult to tackle, some officials claim.

"There are many NGOs providing help to the area, but they are not effective, because of the corruption. So many projects have failed," he explained.

The help of People in Need (PN) NGO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are providingfood and non-food supplies for the marsh Arabs, but for 4,000 families only, he added.

EDUCATION PROBLEMS

The marshlands suffered badly during Saddam Hussein's rule and was neglected in terms of social amenities. The former leader stopped any development in the south to punish those responsible for the uprising against him.

Following the downfall of the regime in 2003, there were signs that people living in the marsh areas would live a much more prosperous life.

However, problems remain due to insecurity and slow reconstruction work. This is having a huge impact on the education system there.

According to official sources in Amarah, there has been a decrease in the number of students attending school, due to insecurity, poor infrastructure, compounded by a lack of qualified teachers.

Many qualified staff has left Iraq due to insurgency and previous conflicts.