Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Reed harvesters in Umm al-Wada’, a marshland area in the city of Suq al-Shuyukh, Dhi Qar province, continue their daily work despite drought conditions that have reduced water levels in recent years.

The area, locally known as "the reed city," serves as a primary collection and trading hub for dried reed, with merchants traveling from across Iraq to purchase it in bulk. Annual production reaches more than 50,000 bundles of dried reed extracted from the marshes.

Workers —most of them marsh residents— begin their day before dawn, heading to the Umm al-Wada’ marsh to cut reed. The material is then cleaned, bound into bundles, and transported to local markets for sale.

Reed use extends beyond agriculture to serve as building material for guesthouses, traditional dwellings, and nature reserves, and is incorporated into both traditional and modern decorative applications. Workers in the sector also collect marsh grasses used as fodder for buffalo and cattle.