CHIBAYISH MARSHES, Iraq – After years of drought that left large swathes of Iraq's historic marshes cracked and empty, rising water levels are beginning to revive the wetlands, drawing buffalo herders and fishermen back to areas once abandoned.

In Chibayish marshes in southern Iraq, canoes once again glide through waterways that had dried ​up in recent years, while water buffalo wade through restored marshland and patches of green pasture ‌have reappeared.

"Some ‌time ago, all our livestock died and there was no water at ​all," said Haidar Qassem, a farmer raising water buffalo in the central marsh.

"Many of our people migrated because of the drought," Qassem said, adding that water had returned this year, livestock numbers were recovering ⁠and some families had come back.

The change in the region's fortunes follows heavy winter rainfall that boosted reservoir ⁠levels, enabling Iraq’s water resources ministry to release growing volumes into the marshes.

Residents are still hoping for further water…