How human activity and climate change killed off Iraq's Sawa Lake

An aerial view showing the Sawa Lake completely dry due to years of drought in Iraq's southern province of al-Muthanna. Photos: Asaad Niazi/AFP

A "No Fishing" sign on the edge of Iraq's western desert is one of the few clues that this was once Sawa Lake, a biodiverse wetland and recreational landmark.

Human activity and climate change have combined to turn the site into a barren wasteland with piles of salt.Abandoned hotels and tourist facilities here hark back to the 1990s when the salt lake, circled by sandy banks, was in its heyday and popular with newly-weds and families who came to swim and picnic.