Once Iraq’s Venice, Basra’s waters have now turned deadly

October 1st, 20180 BASRA, Iraq — Once dubbed the “Venice of the Middle East” for its canals, Iraq’s crumbling port city of Basra is slowly dying of thirst. Crisscrossed waterways that earned it comparisons with the Italian city are now filthy pools of stagnant water. Its vibrant freshwater lifeline, the Shatt-al-Arab river that runs through...