Even before coalition weapons began pummeling the Iraqi landscape, the country's environment had already undergone years of decline. Conflict, international sanctions and the oppressive rule of Saddam Hussein worsened the situation for the Iraqi people. With the lights still out in large sections of Baghdad and the civilian infrastructure badly damaged, the recovery effort has just begun. Click on the arrow to see examples of how the war possibly damaged the environment and civilian infrastructure in Iraq.
SOURCES: "Hidden Casualties: Environmental, Health and Political Consequences of the Persian Gulf War"; "Environmental Ecology: The Ecological Effects of Pollution, Disturbance, and Other Stresses"; World Health Organization; Center For Economic and Social Rights; United Nations; Associated Press N. Rapp; R. Morris /AP Unspent ammunition, barbed wire, trenches, sandbags and litter may have been left behind by soldiers in abandoned military camps.
