Polluted river kills 11 cattle in northern Basra, officials say

BASRA — Eleven cattle have died and others are showing signs of severe poisoning after drinking from a polluted water source in the Bahla area of Al-Sadiq district, northern Basra, authorities said Thursday.

The animals consumed water from the Al-Jatif River, a branch of the Euphrates that has become heavily contaminated. Local officials warned that the number of livestock deaths may rise.

“Eleven cattle have died so far, and more are showing signs of acute poisoning, which suggests the number of deaths may rise in the coming days,” said Nima Al-Mansouri, head of the district’s agricultural department.

Al-Mansouri said the Al-Jatif River lies at the tail end of the Anter tributary and is directly affected by upstream pollution. “After the cows drank from the polluted river, they began showing signs of weakness and emaciation before dying,” he said.

Local herders told 964media the animals’ condition deteriorated rapidly after drinking from the river.

Agricultural authorities conducted field visits to document the damage and submitted findings to veterinary officials for urgent action. “We are responsible for livestock data, feed distribution, and reporting health cases. That’s why we carried out on-site inspections, recorded the deaths, and sent the findings to the relevant veterinary offices,” Al-Mansouri said.