Slow progress with Iraq reconstruction headlines a MSNBC article.
At least MSNBC is admitting there's progress. In the title anyway.
It doesn't sound good, "...the stuff (raw sewage) has been pouring into Iraq's main waterway since the U.S. military action to oust Saddam Hussein last year."
I question how efficient the sewage treatment was before last year. An Islam Online article from 2002 states, Treatment plants were targeted during the first Gulf War and chlorine was banned by the Security Council under the dual-use regulation. "According to UNICEF, 'access to safe water in urban areas has dropped to 94 % from 100 %, while the drop at rural levels was more drastic from 71% to 41%. Up to 250-300 tons of solid untreated raw sewerage is discharged directly into rivers each day. Only 25% of the population are served by piped sewerage systems. Power cuts of up to 12 hours a day have also severely disrupted services.'”
An August article in Water and Waste Water News discusses the work being done and it does sound as though progress is being made.
Points such as "Repaired hundreds of breaks in Iraq’s critical and long neglected water network, significantly increasing water flow." increase my skepticism that all was perfect before the invasion.
According to USAID, "The mechanical and electrical equipment from all three plants has suffered from looting, a lack of spare parts, and no preventative maintenance over the past two decades. The capacity of the sewage plants has been severely reduced by these factors resulting in untreated raw sewage flowing directly into the Tigris River which endangers the health of Baghdad residents and downstream populations. "
The goal is "to return essential services to Iraq, USAID is rehabilitating the Kerkh plant facilities to restore it to its original design capacity."
So, the problem was there to some extent before we got their the first time. I wonder if they ever operated at "design capacity".
Posted by marybeth at September 6, 2004 01:09 PM Iraq