There were just 120 drip irrigation systems allotted to farmers in Mr. Sahlani’s province last year to save water — and the farmers had to pay for them.
Past the urban sprawl of northern Naseriyah, with its small auto repair shops and vegetable stands, the land empties out.
A short drive off the highway, deeper into the desert, lies Al Najim, a village being blown off the map.
Qahatan Almihana, an agricultural engineer, pointed at the town’s landmarks: buildings half-covered in sand, doors buried too deep to open.
“The land was good, the soil was good,” he explained.
Persons:
” Mohammed Raed, Sahlani, ”, Ghazwan Abdul Amir, Al Najim, Qahatan, Sheikh Muhammad Ajil Falghus
Organizations:
Tufts
Locations:
Turkey, Iran, Naseriyah, Sahlani’s