Current view: Text account
Site description (2014 baseline):
Site location and context
Haditha Dam, which creates Qadissiya Lake, is an important strategic facility in northwestern Iraq located within Wadi Haditha in the Euphrates Valley. The towns of Anah and Rawa lie to the northwest. The dam has been functioning since the 1980s, providing electricity to Iraq’s western regions.
Additional Important Bird Observations: During the surveys a total of 30 species was recorded. In addition the site had breeding populations of two Sahara-Sindian Desert biome-restricted species but these did not trigger inclusion under A3 criterion.
Other Important Fauna: Many individuals of Golden Jackal Canis aureus were observed and photographed. No fish survey took place.
To the eastern side of the lake is an open steppe and barren semi-desert landscape called Abu Dalaia. The delineation for Qadissiya Lake includes an extension into this area where a Sociable Lapwing was satellite-tracked on the 15th and 19th of March of 2010. There was no botanical survey conducted here but wild vegetation consisted of Phragmites, Typha, Populus, Euocalptus sp., Morus sp., Halaxylon sp., Zizphus sp., Astragalus sp., Alhagi sp. and Acacia sp.
Qadissiya Lake is smaller than others lakes in western Iraq, such as Tharthar and Habbaniyah. The artificial lake features a muddy shore mixed with sand and gravel and some pockets of fresh grass and vegetation, while several gravel islands also appear near the eastern lakeshore. The river below the dam is moderately wide (30-40 m) with thick reeds covering the banks, extending to Haditha Wetlands and Baghdadi (IQ050), while a small number of date-palm trees and fruit farms are also distributed along both riverbanks. The wetland area is surrounded by arid steppes and dry sandy slopes. The majority of observations were made on the lake but the winter 2010 survey focused on an area downstream of the dam due to unfavorable weather conditions. The site remains closely protected by the army, who did not allow the team direct access to the dam area. Other parts of the lake are difficult to access due to poor security conditions,but the summer team was still able to survey much of the lake.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is a unique habitat in western Iraq with a wide spectrum of biodiversity but very little biological data has been collected so far. The highest threats observed were pollution and natural system modification caused by the Haditha Dam and management of water to generate electricity for the cities of Haditah, Anah, Rawa, Hit, and Al-Qae'm and their vicinities. Huge turbines operate 20 hours a day. As a result industrial effluents (mainly machine oil and other chemicals) adversely affect water quality in the area near the dam. Garbage and solid waste, mainly non-degradable plastics, were observed at many localities. Also domestic wastewater and noise pollution from traffic as well as private electricity generators heavily affect the eastern parts of the lake and all were considered as high threats. There are some small roads near the dam. Hunting was reported and a few boats fishing with nets were seen. The director of the dam indicated that fishing is prevented during the breeding season and the fishermen obey these rules. There is very limited recreational and tourism activity. All these threats were considered moderate.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Qadissiya Lake (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/qadissiya-lake-iba-iraq on 23/11/2024.
