TAKE A DIP TO BEAT THE HEAT
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A group of Iraqi youth cooling off on a hot day with a swim around wreckage in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, formed at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, in the southern port city of Basra, Iraq, on Monday.
Once known for farming and abundant palm trees, Basra is now said to be one of Iraq's hottest cities, with summer temperatures often exceeding 50 deg C.
Climate change in Iraq has led not only to sweltering heat, which has killed plants and trees, but also rising water salinity - meaning that the Shatt al-Arab is no longer a reliable source of water for irrigation and it is harder for crops, livestock and fish to survive.
Many farmers have resorted to building and selling houses on their land make ends meet.
Experts warn that environmental collapse may exacerbate food and water insecurity, undermining Iraq's national security.
In Basra, protests have erupted repeatedly in recent years over unreliable water services, leading to clashes with government security forces and Iraqi militias.
