Iraq - Water and Sanitation
UNICEF WES Sitrep # 8, 16 to 31 May 2003
Brief Overview
A Recent UNICEF and CARE water and sanitation monitoring program in 14 governorates in Central and Southern Iraq found that out of 177 water treatment plants, 19% were classified as good, 55% acceptable, and 26% poor. Many of the water and sewage treatment plants were in poor states of operation prior to hostilities. In the Northern governorates, in general, potable water supply and sanitation systems are operating at greater capacity than in the central and southern areas of the country.
Issues
- Repairs on main water network are underway, but are often constrained by lack of security.
- Many of the water and sewage treatment plants are dependent on electricity for their normal operations. Some back-up generators exist but many of these systems are plagued by the lack of spare parts and normal maintenance, vandalism, and lack of fuel.
- Generally there is a lack of trained and available manpower to operate the treatment plants on a regular basis, etc.
- Solid waste collection and disposal is hampered by a lack of a trucking fleet and excavators.
- Water quality and the treatment of sewage remain primary concerns for the long term rehabilitation efforts.
Successes
- USAID grantee UNICEF has established a water and sanitation coordinating working group that has been attended by USAID officials, other United Nations groups, NGOs, and Bechtel.
- Strengthening evaluations are being undertaken in Basrah at several of the water treatment plants to determine the present quality of the drinking water.
- With USAID funding, CARE has undertaken emergency water rehabilitation in Qaim and Ar Rutbah in the Al Anbar governorate, benefiting 80,000 persons.
- With USAID funding, Save the Children has provided two submersible pumps to facilitate maintenance of main pumps at the Wafal Qaed water treatment and pumping station in collaboration with UNICEF. Approximately 500,000 persons will benefit from these activities. Save the Children is also reviewing 78 primary health care facilities in the Al Basrah governorate and will supply some of these centers with piped water and sanitation facilities.
- Bechtel has prepared preliminary estimates of repairing water treatment plants in eastern Baghdad that would increase treated water by 45%.
- Bechtel is developing rehabilitation plans for 8 potable water treatment facilities in the Basrah region and rehabilitating 6 waste water treatment plants in south central Iraq.
- Through USAID funding, UNICEF has purchased chlorine gas, bleaching powder, chlorinators, water purification tablets, and aluminum sulphate.
- Numerous hospital and public health clinic potable water and sanitation systems have been repaired by the NGO community through USAID funding.
- Millions of liters of potable water have been provided by water trucks to the Iraqi population over the past two months.
- City water authorities (for example, the Baghdad Water Authority and the Al Basrah Water Authority) have been engaged by USAID's partners to assess current water and sewage systems and provide information and input to plans for rehabilitating municipal systems.
Credit for providing emergency and relief potable water to the population is due to UNICEF and other United Nations Organizations, International NGOs, USAID, Kuwaiti government, and local water authority staff.
UNICEF WES Sitrep # 8, 16 to 31 May 2003
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