Men’s War...Nature as Hostage
This is the story of the Persian Gulf War between Iraq and the 34 nation-alliance, led by the US. Many scientists and environmentalists were already panic stricken by the effects of this war on the environment. The ecosystem of the gulf region was a very sensitive one, which was getting severely damaged due to the war. Moreover, this area had the highest number of oil wells; and a small fire accident would be enough to cause an enormous, irreparable damage to the nature. Therefore, the coalition countries were pressurized to focus on trying to stop the war than on getting a victory. Saddam Hussein hatched a new idea now. He announced that if the coalition countries did not retreat immediately, he would set fire to all the oil wells of Kuwait.
But the coalition countries did not mind this threat and continued their attack. The step Saddam Hussein took in response to this left the whole world dumbstruck. Saddam Hussein lit up all the oil wells of Kuwait using explosives and escaped to his Iraq.
The ecosystem of the Persian Gulf was a very sensitive one. The ocean here is no more than a hundred feet deep. Due to this reason, hundreds of varieties of algae grew there. These were the first link of the food chain in that area. The gulf was also famous for its fishing centers. It was also the home for many species of coastal birds like heron, flamingo, etc.
What were the effects of Saddam Hussein's wicked act?
Due to the irresponsible behaviour of Saddam Hussein, the entire Persian Gulf and its inhabitants had to undergo a trial by fire. The flames of fire from the oil wells shot up in a height of about 50-60 feet. Every day, over 50 lakh barrels of oil got burned. This caused air pollution to such an extent that the thick clouds of smoke and other pollutants spread across an area of about 10,000 square miles, extending even up to the Kashmir. The entire country of Kuwait got suffocated under this dark cloud, which mainly constituted of sulphur dioxide and oil droplets. This led to acid rains all over the country.
But this was not the end of the disaster. Before fleeing towards their country, the Iraqi soldiers had broken down many taps of the oil collecting centers. Due to this, over 60 lakh barrels of crude oil began to gush out and formed hundreds of pool, some of expanded over acres of land. As these pools of crude oil spread, lakhs of barrels of oil reached the sea and a little amount of it also seeped underground. The result of this can be well imagined. The different varieties of algae, which grew there and were the primary producers in the food chain there were completely destroyed.
Acid rains severely affected the flora and fauna of the region. The worst affected of all were the birds. They consumed the flesh of the fish and animals, which was contaminated by the oil; and were choked to death. Otherwise, they swam in the "black pools of oil". Almost 20,000 birds were killed.
This is a brief description of the catastrophic result of the Persian Gulf war. A nature loving soldier,
“We managed to chase the enemy away. But we still have to win the war.”This was not the first time that men, due to their idiocy, had placed nature itself as a bet on a race between themselves. But it reached its heights during the Persian Gulf war. Our environment is now a hostage between the carelessness of the developing countries and the double standard laws of the developed countries. It’s high time we release it from its bondage and start to respect it as Mother Nature.
Tags: Persian Gulf War, Persian Gulf War Effects on the nature, effects of war on environment, Saddam Hussein, Kuwait oil wells, ecosystem, food chain, Saddam Hussein wicked act, oil wells in Kuwait, Saddam Hussein burns Kuwait oil wells, effects of Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein Persian Gulf War.
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Environmental Issues
Updated:
Published: June 29th, 2014
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