Moragh Bradshaw obituary
Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, to Winifred and Kenneth Walker, an engineering lecturer, Moragh spent most of her early childhood separated from her parents after she and her elder sister, Kathrine, were evacuated to New Zealand, their mother's homeland, during the second world war.
After returning to Britain in 1945, she went to Sowerby Bridge grammar school and then studied geography at Edinburgh University, where she helped establish the first CND group in the city and joined the Society of Friends (Quakers), attracted by their belief in pacificism.
In the 1960s Moragh worked as a town planner for the London county council, Skelmersdale Development Corporation and the National Parks Commission. It was during this period that she first got very involved in volunteering, participating in international exchanges organised by the Quakers, spending weekends dredging canals and restoring the Ffestiniog narrow gauge railway in north Wales, which was where she met my father, Paul Bradshaw, a solicitor and fellow volunteer.
They married in 1967 and shortly afterwards moved to Liverpool, where they raised four children. Moragh's tendency to say yes when asked to help led to a life rich with volunteering experiences, ranging from helping to set up a Citizens Advice bureau in Toxteth and volunteering there for more than 30 years, to teaching for the National Childbirth Trust and chairing a housing association. She was appointed MBE in 1989 for her contribution to the St Helen's and Knowsley Groundwork Trust's pioneering work to restore former industrial land.
After she and Paul moved to north Wales in 2005, Moragh took on new commitments, including helping to organise a local eco fair and coordinating the volunteer stewards for Porthmadog Maritime Museum.
Moragh will also be remembered for her needlework skills and the generosity with which she shared them. She studied embroidery in the 80s and in later life devoted much time to patchworking and quilting, not only creating many beautiful pieces herself, but devoting significant time to supporting others' creativity, running workshops for local textile groups and teaching children to knit.
She is survived by Paul, their children, James, Helen and me, and four grandsons. Her younger son, Edward, died in 2002.
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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
I tested 42 water bottles to find the best for leaks, looks and sustainability: here are my favourites
If you think a water bottle is just a water bottle, it's time to wake up. In 2025, there's a lot riding on your choice of drinking vessel. The heady combination of worrying about the planet and, on a more day-to-day level, staying hydrated has made reusable water bottles a must-have. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Once the preserve of hikers and gym-goers, water bottles have become a small but significant act of environmental virtue signalling. Not all bottles are created equal, though. Some are insulated, some leak, some weigh as much as a toddler, and some even infuse your water with hydrogen (more on that later). The choice is dizzying. It's time to lock in, reader. I've dedicated months to finding the best water bottles. I've bored my friends and family with tales of weight v capacity. I've thrown water bottles around my garden. Join me in the quest to stay hydrated and vaguely hopeful about the planet – and find your perfect water bottle along the way. Best water bottle overall:Owala FreeSip Best budget water bottle:Ion8 stainless-steel water bottle Best stainless-steel water bottle:Frank Green ceramic reusable water bottle Best water bottle for kids: Yeti Rambler Jr kids' water bottle Best sustainable water bottle:Ocean Bottle Go water bottle I've been testing products professionally for more than four years. I've assessed so many things, from tablets and trampolines to slow cookers and SPF. My family has become used to rating anything they come across out of five (not so welcome when it's my cooking that's being rated, if I'm honest). I've tested kids' water bottles and cups before, and I'm also on a quest to better hydrate myself after several medical professionals told me I'm so dehydrated that I'm virtually desiccated (they didn't use that actual term). In that quest, I've experienced school bags filled with water, mouldy water bottles that are impossible to clean and straws that melt in the dishwasher. Here, I've included only water bottles that went through my rigorous testing and came out on top. Life is too short to suffer a rubbish water bottle. I spent two months testing water bottles, trying out 42. I recruited my family as co-testers, and let my three children put the kids' water bottles through what feels like the ultimate test: a day at a British primary school. During testing, I weighed the water bottles when empty and full. I dropped them from waist height on to a hard floor to see how they withstood the impact. I also put each water bottle on its side in a bag and hung them from my washing line for 30 minutes to see if they leaked. If the water bottles were insulated, I checked how quickly the liquid warmed over a few hours. As well as performance, I did a deep dive into sustainability. I wanted to see which water-bottle brands were all mouth in the eco-friendly stakes – what initiatives did they have beyond creating a reusable water bottle? And how durable and recyclable were the bottles? After testing the water bottles, I donated them to charity for resale. Here are the nine water bottles that performed best in my tests. I challenge you to get through a TikTok doomscroll without coming across an Owala FreeSip water bottle. It's been the 'it' water bottle for a while, and it actually deserves the gen Z hype. The bottle comes in three sizes: 24oz, 32oz and 40oz. In my opinion, the 24oz (just over 700ml) is a perfect size: it fits in cup holders yet doesn't need refilling every hour. The stainless-steel design is triple insulated and has a one-handed flip-lid opening. What sets the FreeSip apart is the spout – you can sip your drink through a straw or gulp it from the free pour. Why we love it This is the water bottle I went back to during and after testing. A FreeSip is sitting next to me as I type this. Owala sells this bottle in a fun range of colours, so you can find one that fits your style. It's also practical: the FreeSip doesn't weigh much considering it offers decent insulation (it keeps drinks icy for hours, even in a heatwave). The FreeSip is also easy to clean – its lid screws off and the bottle is wide enough to really get in there and blitz it. The rigid straw is easy to scrub using a bottle brush, and so is the spout. There's a removable silicone seal, which I haven't found harbours any mould; I give this a soak and find it's an easy job. Most importantly, I can chuck my FreeSip in any bag and be confident it won't leak – I'm even happy to throw it in a bag with my laptop, which I'd be wary about with most other water bottles. It also survived the drop test, and I'm confident it's built to last. During testing, many of my friends remarked on my FreeSip and then went out and bought their own, becoming converts themselves. OK, it's more pricey than other bottles on this list (especially when you take into account shipping costs), but you'll never get water-bottle envy again. It's a shame that … the shipping costs and taxes on these water bottles are so high. Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; bottle body, hand-washBPA free: yesSizes available: 24oz (710ml), 32oz (910ml), 40oz (1.2l)Weight empty (710ml): 390g Weight filled (710ml): 1.07kg The Ion8 water bottle offers much of the same functionality as others on this list, but at a fraction of the price. It's stainless steel and has a flip-lid spout, with a carry hook in the lid. It's not thermally insulated, though, which may account for why it's more affordable. Ion8 produces this water bottle in an array of colours, so you're sure to find something you like. At 400ml capacity, it can be slipped easily into most bags. Why we love itThis bottle passed most of my testing criteria with flying colours. Perhaps most importantly, it didn't leak in a bag when laid flat for an extended period. It's lightweight too – it offers less capacity than many bottles on this list, but it's great for the commute and chucking in your bag on the run. My kids also liked it for taking to school and sports clubs. I appreciated that it fitted in my car's cup holder – so many water bottles I tested didn't. It remained unfazed by the drop test, too, so it's durable. As it's a tip-and-pour bottle rather than a straw water bottle (there's an optional straw included, but I went without), it's easier to clean. I personally found the carry handle uncomfortable to use, though: the loop is small and got stuck on my fingers. It's a shame that … Ion8 says this is a one-handed opening flip lid, but I found it clunky. I needed two hands to open the bottle, and I usually like to think of myself as fairly dexterous. Dishwasher safe: yes, on a cool cycleBPA free: yesSizes available: 400ml, 600ml, 1lWeight empty (600ml): 259g (including straw) Weight filled (600ml): 676g I'd heard about how indestructible Frank Green water bottles are, so I was keen to see how they fared in my own tests. They're customisable right down to the colour of the lid, bottle and style of straw. There was a menu of 17 bottle colours at the time of writing, from pretty pastels to utilitarian navy and khaki. The bottle I tested had a flip-straw lid, but there are five lid options to choose from. You can open the flip-straw lid with one hand, with the spout flicking open for you to sip from. It also comes with a flexible carry handle that's big enough to be useful, plus impressive triple-walled insulation. Why we love it It's perhaps superficial, but I found the colours on offer appealing. My mint-green water bottle is easy to spot in my Mary Poppins-style tote bag without looking garish. And, during its time in residence at the bottom of said bag, I was pleased to find it didn't leak a drop. The bottle also performed well in my drop test, looking as good as new despite plummeting on to a hard floor from a height. The mechanism on the flip-straw lid is smooth, even after several washes. Frank Green lines its water bottles with a ceramic coating, which it claims prevents that weird metal-tainted water taste you sometimes get. It's hard to test this against rivals, but I never noticed a metallic taste. The straw inside is made from metal, which felt more durable – I'm all for less plastic in general. It's a shame that … even the smallest (595ml) bottle becomes heavy when filled, perhaps because of the heavy-duty insulation. Dishwasher safe: lid, yes; bottle body, noBPA free: yesSizes: 595ml, 1l and 2lWeight empty (595ml): 340g Weight filled (595ml): 870g Yeti specialises in heavy-duty apparel, and no one needs a heavy-duty water bottle more than kids – specifically my kids. Everything about this insulated water bottle is robust, from the (slightly stiff) screw-on lid to the large, tactile carry handle. And adding to the utility feel, the bottle's opening is wide – great for jamming in loads of ice, if you want. The double-walled insulation kept my kids' drinks icy for about three hours, even on hot days. The Rambler Jr comes in nine bright colours, which will make it easy to spot in the classroom. Why we love it One of the most important tests for kids' water bottles, if you ask me, is the leak test. Too many times I've seen my kids' reading books end up in a pool of water in their bags. Thankfully, the Yeti Rambler Jr passed this test. It's easy to open one-handed, even for younger hands with less developed fine-motor skills. A rigid straw flicks up when you exert pressure on the tab. And this spout survived my kids knocking it around on the playing field at school, and didn't seem to suffer any bite marks either. I liked that this bottle comes with two straws; it's always nice to have a spare. And, as a time-poor parent, I was happy to find that the whole thing washes well in the dishwasher. It's a shame that … there isn't a wider selection of designs. Dishwasher safe: yesBPA free: yesSizes: 355mlWeight empty: 500g Weight filled: 855g Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion As far as reusable water bottles go, Ocean Bottle goes above and beyond in terms of sustainability. It's a certified B Corp, and makes impressive pledges with every bottle you buy. As well as its eco credentials, I loved using the Ocean Bottle Go. It's lightweight, has a flip-lid cap and a silicone straw inside. These bottles come in a range of shades and have a coating on the outside to stop them slipping through your fingers. Why we love it The Ocean Bottle Go is brilliant for use on the go. It's lightweight and small enough to slip into most bags, while the anti-slip coating means it doesn't become slippery even when wet. It's insulated as well, and kept the ice in my drink icy for almost 90 minutes – and pleasingly cold for a lot longer. This bottle passed my leak test with flying colours, too. As well as this, Ocean Bottle says revenue from each bottle sold funds the collection of 11.4kg of plastic – the equivalent of 1,000 plastic bottles – that would otherwise be bound for the ocean. Using near-field communication and an app on your phone, you can track how many times you've refilled your bottle. From here, you can monitor your hydration, and if you're using an iPhone, it will also transfer this info to your Health app – although you can switch this off. Each time you log a refill in the app, Ocean Bottle funds the collection of an additional five ocean-bound plastic bottles. You can see your 'impact progress' in the app. I found this feature a faff, as you have to wave your bottle near your phone every time you refill, but I loved seeing my hydration and impact clocking up. It's a shame that … for the price, the capacity isn't larger (Ocean Bottle does offer larger sizes of its Original bottle, though). Dishwasher safe: yesBPA free: yesSizes: 500mlWeight empty: 287g Weight filled: 752g Best for: hydration obsessives I first learned about hydrogen water bottles this year, and I was a sceptic. I mean, look at the price tag – are people really paying that for a water bottle? Then I got the Echo Flask in for review, and was converted. You plug your water bottle into the wall (I know, but stick with me here …) and charge it up. You then use the touchscreen on the water bottle to start a 10-minute cycle of releasing hydrogen into the water inside. There is a school of thought that introducing more hydrogen into your water reduces oxidative stress, improves your athletic performance and shortens recovery time. Some studies have been done to prove this theory, including one on rats. The jury remains out on exactly how amazing hydrogen water is for humans. It's impossible to test these claims as I am just one person without access to a lab, but here's my anecdotal experience: I drank from this water bottle every morning and noticed I didn't get dehydration headaches, and never suffered a hangover. As you may expect for the price, the bottle pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth and gives you lots of data to keep you motivated, if that's your thing. This includes how many 'flasks' you've consumed v the goals you've set, the length of your goal-meeting streak, and how much water and hydrogen you've consumed. It will also send you reminders on your phone for you to drink, should you forget. It didn't make the final cut because … the price made me balk. And the lid leaked during testing. Dishwasher safe: No, but it mostly cleans itself. There's a self-clean cycle you can select onscreen – for a deep clean, add a drop of white wine vinegar to the clean free: yesSizes: 12oz (350ml)Weight empty: 487g Weight filled: 793g Best for: drinking on the go The beauty of this bottle is its simplicity. There's no Bluetooth connectivity or dual spouts here. So, if your water-bottle preference is free pour rather than straw, Chilly's Series 2 is a great option. It's well made and durable. The spout is curved to prevent spillages when on the move or in a rush, and I found it comfortable to drink from. It's easy to clean, too. The metal bottle is double-wall insulated, and it kept my drink cold for hours. I liked the rubber base, which gave it a soft landing and protected it from bumps. A simple carry strap can be used, which I found useful (often on water bottles, I've found the straps superfluous to my needs). It didn't make the final cut because … it's pricey for a simple water bottle. Dishwasher safe: noBPA free: yesSizes: 350ml, 500ml, 1lWeight empty (500ml): 302g Weight filled (500ml): 805g Best for: those who hate water Mark my words, this water bottle (which has enjoyed premium status in tweens' lives for a good few years) is for kids more than adults. The idea is that you attach a scented ring-shaped plastic pod around the straw, and your mind is tricked into thinking the water is flavoured as you sip. I'm not convinced by this functionality. It works for a sip or two, but then my brain quickly realises it's being tricked. However, my kids loved the concept and all the many child-friendly flavours the pods come in. All the scents are made from natural flavours extracted from fruits, spices and herbs. It's worth bearing in mind that the pods need replacing when they lose their scent, and they cost from £4.99 for a pack of three. I liked that the lid stays attached on the Click – previous versions didn't offer this. Now kids can't lose the lids in the school playground. Honestly, anything that gets my kids to drink water at this point is a win. It didn't make the final cut because … it didn't pass the leak test. Dishwasher safe: yesBPA free: yesSizes: 600mlWeight empty: 170g Weight filled: 770g Best for: working from home When staying hydrated crosses over into a personality trait, many people – particularly gen Z – seem to reach for a Stanley Quencher. Make no mistake, the Quencher is a style statement. It comes in an array of shades and limited editions with cutesy names such as 'hydrangea' and 'dried pine'. The 1.8l bottle I tested is enormous – my heart sank when I had to take it out of the house, despite the massive handle on it. It honestly took me back to the days when I used to carry a toddler on my hip, such is the size and weight. However, at home I was deeply into the Quencher. I found it brilliant during the working day as I didn't have to refill it as often. There are three positions for the lid – covered, straw or sip. I tended to opt for the straw, but it's not leakproof, so if you're on the go, you'll have to make do without it. Stanley says it keeps drinks cold for 12 hours – but I noticed my drink slightly warming after about four hours in my tests. It didn't make the cut because … it's impractically big, and therefore lacks the versatility of other bottles on this list (but it does fit car cup holders). Dishwasher safe: yesBPA free: yesSizes: 590ml, 890ml, 1.18lWeight empty (1.18l): 658g Weight filled (1.18l): 1.8kg The key features are capacity and lid or spout style; make sure these fit your preferences and lifestyle. If you'll be taking your water bottle out with you a lot, you'll need to balance capacity against how heavy it is. You'll also want something that's reliably leak-free – look at the lid design and check the seals. Insulation is worth considering. Having used an insulated water bottle, I could never go back. Why suffer tepid water if you don't have to? Most insulated water bottles are made from metal, which means they're typically recyclable, durable and, importantly, BPA free. BPA (bisphenol A) is a synthetic chemical used in some rigid plastic food containers, and repeated exposure may cause health problems. Always look for BPA-free water bottles – all the ones on this list are. Take your time to find a water bottle you love, and you shouldn't be tempted to replace it; this will not only serve you well, but the environment too. Ideally, you should opt for sustainable water bottles that are made from recycled materials and designed for long-term use. Regular cleaning helps prevent bacteria and mould from building up in your water bottle. To keep your bottle hygienic, you should clean it properly at least once a day. That means taking it apart and giving it a good wash in warm, soapy water – a quick rinse under the tap won't cut it. Soak your bottle for 10 minutes, then rinse with more hot water. It's best to let it air dry rather than drying it by hand. Stick to environmentally friendly washing-up liquid if you're keen to reduce your environmental impact. If your bottle is dishwasher safe, you can pop it in there instead. Reusable water bottles are undeniably better for the environment when compared with their single-use plastic counterparts. In the UK alone, an estimated 35.8m plastic bottles are used every day, and just 55% are recycled. Producing a reusable bottle requires more energy upfront, but that impact is offset over time. The key is repeated use: an MIT study estimates that a reusable bottle needs to be used between 10 and 20 times to break even with the carbon footprint of a single-use bottle. The more durable the bottle, the better. A water bottle that has a fully stainless-steel body is best, despite the carbon footprint involved in producing it. Stainless steel lasts longer, has a lower impact over its lifetime, and is easier to recycle at the end of its life than plastic alternatives. Zoë Phillimore is a journalist with 20 years of experience. She's tested many things, from mattresses to makeup, and she's slightly obsessed with finding small new businesses to spotlight. Aside from this, Zoë loves travel, being outside – especially on the beach – and finding screen-free things to keep her three very active children busy, as well as sharing her finds on her social media accounts
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Moragh Bradshaw obituary
As a teenager, my mother, Moragh Bradshaw, who has died aged 87, asked her father what life was for. His answer, that it was to help others, was advice that had a profound impact, leading Moragh to dedicate much of her time and energy to social justice and the environment. Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, to Winifred and Kenneth Walker, an engineering lecturer, Moragh spent most of her early childhood separated from her parents after she and her elder sister, Kathrine, were evacuated to New Zealand, their mother's homeland, during the second world war. After returning to Britain in 1945, she went to Sowerby Bridge grammar school and then studied geography at Edinburgh University, where she helped establish the first CND group in the city and joined the Society of Friends (Quakers), attracted by their belief in pacificism. In the 1960s Moragh worked as a town planner for the London county council, Skelmersdale Development Corporation and the National Parks Commission. It was during this period that she first got very involved in volunteering, participating in international exchanges organised by the Quakers, spending weekends dredging canals and restoring the Ffestiniog narrow gauge railway in north Wales, which was where she met my father, Paul Bradshaw, a solicitor and fellow volunteer. They married in 1967 and shortly afterwards moved to Liverpool, where they raised four children. Moragh's tendency to say yes when asked to help led to a life rich with volunteering experiences, ranging from helping to set up a Citizens Advice bureau in Toxteth and volunteering there for more than 30 years, to teaching for the National Childbirth Trust and chairing a housing association. She was appointed MBE in 1989 for her contribution to the St Helen's and Knowsley Groundwork Trust's pioneering work to restore former industrial land. After she and Paul moved to north Wales in 2005, Moragh took on new commitments, including helping to organise a local eco fair and coordinating the volunteer stewards for Porthmadog Maritime Museum. Moragh will also be remembered for her needlework skills and the generosity with which she shared them. She studied embroidery in the 80s and in later life devoted much time to patchworking and quilting, not only creating many beautiful pieces herself, but devoting significant time to supporting others' creativity, running workshops for local textile groups and teaching children to knit. She is survived by Paul, their children, James, Helen and me, and four grandsons. Her younger son, Edward, died in 2002.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Iraq's marshes were considered an Eden. Now the oil industry is sucking them dry
At dawn, a veil of mist clings to the canals of Hawizeh, where sky and water seem to blur into a mirror. In the stern of a narrow wooden boat, 23-year-old Mustafa Hashim scans the marshes' shallows, cutting the motor and switching to a traditional pole to avoid snagging on invasive roots or thickening mud. It takes him about half an hour to push through the shrinking marshes to reach Um al-Nea'aj, once a vibrant lake teeming with boats and birdsong. Now, the water is about half a metre deep. 'Two years ago, there were families and fishermen everywhere,' Mustafa says, leaning out of the boat. 'You could hear laughter, the splash of fish. Today, there's nothing.' On the horizon, flames from the Halfaya oilfield flicker. Iraq's southern wetlands – known collectively as the Mesopotamian marshes – are among the world's most endangered ecosystems. Their expanse is believed by some to have contained the biblical Garden of Eden. Recognised as a Unesco world heritage site in 2016 and protected since 2007 as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, the marshes once stretched nearly 120 miles (200km) from Nasiriya to Basra, forming a rich and vast aquatic world. But beneath the surface lies another kind of wealth: oil. Three strategic oil concessions overlap with the protected area: Halfaya, Huwaiza, and Majnoon. The latter, Majnoon, takes its name from the Arabic word for 'crazy': it is considered one of the world's 'super-giant' oilfields, with estimated reserves of up to 38bn barrels (5.2bn tonnes). But the processes used to extract that oil have a voracious appetite for water. In a land already threatened by drought and desertification, the wetlands are being sucked dry. Mustafa's grandfather, Kasid Wanis, 87, once took his boat from Hawizeh to Basra (about 70 miles) using nothing but a pole and his memory of the route. 'We didn't know what cars were. We didn't need them. We were a people of water,' he says. His 41-year-old son Hashim, Mustafa's father, grew up fishing these waters. But four years ago, he packed his nets away. 'There's not enough water to live,' he says quietly. Crude oil is Iraq's economic lifeline, accounting for more than 95% of its total exports and 69% of GDP. The country is the world's sixth-largest crude producer, and the fate of the Hawizeh marshes is tightly bound to that of the oil industry. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has sought alternatives to Moscow's crude, with Iraq becoming a key source. The connection between oil extraction and water scarcity is direct and devastating. The Halfaya oilfield – in which the French energy company TotalEnergies also holds a stake – is operated by a consortium led by PetroChina. Spanning an area three times the size of Paris, it includes 300 wells, three oil-processing plants, a water-treatment facility, and its own airport to transport foreign workers between the site and international airports. It is state-owned PetroChina's largest overseas project. About a decade ago, shortly after PetroChina began operations in the region, six water-pumping stations were built along the Tigris River – the lifeline that feeds the marshes. Every day, they extract about 60,000 cubic metres of water, roughly the daily consumption of a mid-sized city. That water is diverted to the oilfields, where it is injected into wells to boost crude extraction – a standard practice across the region. The pumping stations are drawing from already diminished reserves. Dams built upstream in Turkey and the Kurdish region of Iraq have reduced water flow into southern Iraq by more than 50% since the 1970s, while Iranian dams on the Karkheh River – which feeds the Hawizeh marshes – have also reduced the region's water supply. Now, feeding this industrial oil complex is costing residents their environment and their way of life, they say. These days, Hashim is less worried about dwindling fish stocks than about the military checkpoints. The canals that once led deep into the wetlands are cut off and patrolled . Armed guards control access, requiring local fishers and buffalo herders to hand over their ID cards to enter. The marshes have become a militarised zone. Authorities say the heightened police and military presence is meant to prevent smuggling and secure the nearby border with Iran just a few miles away. But according to residents, it also serves to suppress local protests. 'The occupation follows the oil,' Mustafa says. 'They want to cut us off from our land so they can exploit it without resistance.' As the marshes dried, Mustafa did what many others have been forced to do – he joined the industry he blames for their destruction. In 2023, he and his father worked as subcontracted labourers for PetroChina. 'I saw it up close,' he says. 'They call this development, but it's destruction disguised as progress.' By the summer, he had quit. That same year, drought peaked and protests erupted across the region, and Mustafa joined them, organising blockades of oilfield access roads. 'At first I told Mustafa to stop,' Hashim says. 'But then he made me see it: this is political, and we can't stay silent.' As well as its thirst for water, oil extraction in the region has been linked to devastating pollution. 'This economy is literally killing people,' says Majid al-Saadi, director of the agriculture department in Maysan province. In late 2024, Saadi and his team compiled a confidential local government report into the effects of oil extraction on the region. The report, seen by the Guardian, documents alarming concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, chemicals into drinking water, and the collapse of local agriculture. 'This is not just pollution – it's expropriation,' Saadi says. In early 2025, Saadi delivered the report to Iraq's environment ministry, and says that officials promised to open talks with the oil ministry. But he is sceptical that any action will follow. For now, the expansion of oilfields in the area continues. Leaked photographs and videos, geolocated by the Guardian, now show excavators, pipelines, and workers digging directly into the heart of the protected zone – where the new Huwaiza oilfield is now under development. The exploration has been confirmed by satellite imagery analysis carried out for the Guardian by Placemarks, an independent geo‑analysis studio that uses satellite imagery and data to map environmental changes. A contract signed in February 2023 between Iraq's state-owned Maysan Oil Company and China's Geo-Jade Petroleum paved the way for the field's development. The new excavations would directly violate Ramsar protections. But the pact is not legally binding, and depends on states complying voluntarily. Iraq's oil and environment ministries did not respond to requests for comment. In July, the interior ministry's federal security affairs agency said in a social media post that environmental police had 'conducted a field inspection … to monitor potential environmental violations resulting from the activities of oil companies in the Hor al-Huwaiza area'. It continued: 'The field visit revealed that the pond had completely dried up, with no ongoing drilling, extraction, or disposal of oil waste at the site. However, there were excavations … being carried out by local companies contracted with the Chinese company Geo-Jade for exploration purposes and the future installation of oil rigs.' Jassem Falahi, an environment ministry official, has previously told AFP that the protected status of the marshes did not bar development projects. However, he added in May: 'Investment is subject to specific conditions and standards that must not disturb the core area … or affect the site and its biodiversity.' A spokesperson for TotalEnergies said that while it had a 22.8% stake in Halfaya oilfield, it was not an operator, and that questions about the field should be directed to PetroChina. PetroChina and GeoJade did not respond to requests for comment. Contacted by the Guardian, Unesco stressed its 'significant concern over the continued vulnerability of the natural components of the property to oil and gas developments'. Deprived of their livelihoods, Hawizeh's residents are left with few options. In Mustafa's village, hundreds of homes have been abandoned. Fresh protests broke out across the marshes three months ago. Hundreds marched near the Halfaya oilfield, denouncing new drilling permits. 'This isn't just about today's drilling rights,' Mustafa said. 'We're fighting so the next generation can know the wetlands our ancestors protected for thousands of years.' The unrest comes as Iraq boosts oil production amid a worsening water crisis. With another scorching summer under way, the head of Basra's Human Rights Commission has called for a state of emergency to be imposed, warning of a looming humanitarian disaster from scarcity, pollution and rising toxicity. What remains in the marshes is a quiet war – over land, water and memory. 'The government and the companies have turned us into a cake to be divided,' Mustafa says. 'They treat these waters like a business opportunity. For us, it's life.' This investigation was supported by Journalismfund Europe and IJ4EU
