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Saving oil wells: Coalition forces fight for environment
By Sharon Collins
(CNN) -- Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, coalition forces have focused on control of the oil wells. Despite promises from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that he would not sabotage oil wells in his own country, reports spread from day one of the war that he had lit fires in several oil wells and deposited munitions and booby traps in them. He has filled trenches with oil and lit them to impede the advance of coalition troops. Experiences during the first Persian Gulf War have led U.S. officials to be concerned about the possible environmental impacts of such actions. The importance is underscored by a statement by World Resources Institute President Jonathan Lash. Lash wrote, "Personal well-being and political stability are at risk when ecosystems continue to be stretched beyond their limits." During the 1991 conflict, there were environmental impacts from oil well sabotage. • Oil spills were the largest in history, resulting in huge oil lakes and oil seeping into underground water aquifers, rivers and the Gulf. • Dirty water facilitated the spread of disease and caused food shortages because there was less fresh water to irrigate crops. • Oil leaks covered cropland, nearly collapsed the shrimp fisheries and killed migratory birds and wintering shore birds or prevented them from using essential habitat. • Smoke and soot from burning wells and invisible droplets of oil that did not burn invaded the lungs of humans and animals. • Fires released 500 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming. • Falling temperatures and darkened skies affected photosynthesis in land plants, sea grass beds and corals. According to a special report in New Scientist, "If [Iraq's] oil wells are set ablaze, they could do far more damage than that seen in 1991." Seven hundred oil wells were lit in Kuwait in 1991. Iraq has approximately 2,000 oil wells, 1,500 of which are in two oil fields, Rumaylah and Kirkuk. To put out oil well fires, water and access are needed. Unlike Kuwait, little of Iraq is near water. Access for the heavy machinery needed to put out the fires is more difficult in Iraq because much of the country is not flat, especially in the north near Kirkuk. Iraqi oil is under more pressure, which could increase the rate of a spill. And oil wells contain more gas, which makes fires harder to put out. To prevent and minimize the impact of oil well sabotage, the United States has dropped leaflets in Iraq warning its citizens not to set fire to oil wells. It has attempted to capture and control oil wells early on in the combat. And it is preparing for the tasks of clearing booby traps and extinguishing fires. So far, efforts seem to be paying off. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said last week, "The campaign is going extremely well. We've averted environmental disaster. We've got control of the oil fields." British forces say the Iraqis managed to start only nine oil well fires in the Rumaylah fields. But many more were booby trapped. The British estimate it will take three months and cost $1 billion to return them to production. Marty Maxwell contributed to this article.
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