Basrah PRT Working to Assist Basrawis

BASRAH | January 14, 2010

Through the following projects worth over $120 million, the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Basrahh is working with the Provincial leadership to deliver better public services and improve the quality of life of Basrahwis:

Water:  PRT Basrahh is nearing completion of a multi-phase $41.3 million project to modernize the water treatment and distribution system to ensure that the people of Basrahh have adequate water, free from salt and pollutants. When done, it will provide an additional 380 million liters of treated water to the people of Basrahh:

• The first phase decreased the water system losses through a $1.2 million project that repaired water leaks that affecting the entire water network and all of the residents of Basrahh City.
• The second phase is a $35.1 million project for water treatment plant construction and repair.  The project is refurbishing the R-Zero,Hartha, Bradia, Jubalia, Ribbat, and Al Maqil water treatment plants and constructing new plants in Qarat Az Zuwayn, Az Zubayr, and Camp Bucca.  The refurbishments will be completed by March and the new construction will be completed this summer.
• The third phase is a $2 million project to increase the capacity of the Sweet Water Canal by refurbishing pump stations and reinforcing the canal walls.
• The fourth phase is a $2.5 million project to provide the technical skills training necessary to operate and maintain the water treatment plants and a $500,000 project to transform the management culture within the directorate in order to maximize the utility of water resources in the province and to significantly enhance delivery of clean drinking water to all three million residents of Basrahh. The project began in December 2009 and ends in fifteen months.

Sewer:  PRT Basrahh is implementing a $24.4 million project to remove
unsanitary and stagnant water and thereby reduce the possibility of
disease and provide a cleaner living environment:

• New sewer and storm water networks costing a total of $22.2 million are being built in Al Abbas and Al Qibla.  The new networks will each serve 20,000 people who now use open trenches.  They will be completed by July.
• An ongoing $450,000 Sewer Repairs Project is clearing sewage blockages and repairing sewer lines throughout the City.  So far, this project has cleared 32,835 meters of sewer line, replaced 83 meters of sewer pipe, cleaned 868 manholes, cleaned 658 storm drains, replaced 125 manhole covers, replaced 158 storm drain covers, and repaired pipes and fittings in 76 locations.
• Two projects totaling $1.7 million to repair Basrah main sewer line and to provide eight generators to increase electrical power so that the Hamden Sewer Treatment Plant which services about 60 percent of the City's population can operate 24 hours a day.
• Future projects will continue working with the Sewer Directorate on minor sewer system repair projects and to develop a citywide Sewer Sector Master Plan.

Trash:  PRT Basrah is implementing a $9.3 million project to keep the
City of Basrah clean, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing to both
citizens and visitors:

• A $2.4 million project that removed over 70,000 tons of trash from the streets of Basrah over a six week period.  The project included clearing sewer lines and removing of raw sewage from the streets in Hyyaniyah and Jumhuriyah.
• A $4.4 million project provided 100,000 trash containers and 2.5 million garbage bags for Basrah residents.  Another 50,000 trash containers are scheduled to be delivered in February.
• A $1.1 million project to remove trash and silt from the Al Ashar and Al Khandaq Canals and repair and paint the concrete fences.  Cleaning and fence repair of the Al Ribbat Canal will be completed next month.
• A $800,000 project to remove more than 3,000 tons of scrap metal and war damaged military equipment from Hyyaniyah and Al Abbas.  Removal of scrap metal near Hamden Hotel in downtown Basrah will be completed in February and a project is being developed to remove scrap metal in the Hamden Industrial Park.  The metal is being transported to the State Industry for Steel and Iron for disposal.
• A $600,000 project to repair trash collection vehicles and provide repair parts to bring the Basrah trash collection fleet up to 100 percent operational capacity.  Repairs are scheduled to be completed in February.
• Future projects will continue working with the Governor, Municipality, and UNICEF to develop an efficient and unified solid waste management plan.

Electricity:  PRT Basrah is implementing a $18.8 million project to
transmit reliable electricity to Basrahwis and reduce unexpected
blackouts and system failures:

• Fourteen 11kV overhead power lines ($5.4 million) are being constructed to provide power for over 137,000 Basrahwis through new electrical distribution lines that directly tie into local residences and businesses.  Seven were completed in Al Jamoriah, Al Juninah, Al Jubaylah, Al Maqil, Al Faw, Al Ashraih, and Al Arab.  Seven more are nearing completion in Old Basrah, Hay Jamhoriah, Amon Dakhli, Nowab Al Dobad, Al Qurnah, Hay Al Jameat, and Al Qaed Street.

• The Kowaz Substation ($3.2 million) and Mowafaqiah Substation ($2.7 million) provide new electrical capacity to two areas of Basrah (approximately 50,000 homes each) that had previously experienced frequent and extended power interruptions.
• The 132kV Power Cable Feeder from Bab Az Zubayr to Basrah Central Power Station ($8M) provides new electrical cables and circuits, resulting in increased capacity to all of the residents of Basrah.  This project is scheduled to be completed in February.
• Three electrical system repair projects ($1.2M) provide critical electrical repair parts in the large city districts of Hyyaniyah, Bradia, and Hakemeya.  The repair parts are projected to reduce the number of unexpected blackouts by 50 percent and prevent critical failure in each of these areas during peak demand periods.  Project is expected to start in February and finish by May.
• The Al Dawajen substation project ($950,000) will replace failing equipment at the substation that transmits electricity to over 30,000 people in Az Zubayr.  This project is expected to start in March and finish by May.

Economic Development:  PRT Basrah and other U.S. Government agencies are working to promote economic development in the Province to create jobs and improve quality of life:

• In recent years, the U.S. Government has spent $163 million to rehabilitate and improve the Port of Umm Qasr.  The Port employs about 2,000 people and is a crucial transportation and economic hub for Iraq's economic recovery.
• In recent years, the U.S. Government has spent over $50 million to improve Basrah International Airport.   The airport will be critical to the economic success of the Province as the petroleum industry continues to grow and strengthen the economy of the area.
• The U.S. Government has spent $100 million on the Basrah Children's Hospital which, when opened later this year, will be a world-class cancer treatment hospital.
• The U.S. Government is coordinating the construction of the $12 million Al Tennumah Bridge which, when finished in early 2011, will be the tallest structure in southern Iraq.
• PRT Basrah recently hired a U.S. agricultural expert to initiate a program to strengthen the agricultural sector in the Province.  He is currently reviewing over 30 proposed agricultural projects.
• To assist small businesses, the USAID Tijara program has two microfinance centers in Basrah that made 3,800 loans valued at $6.5 million to support small business development in 2009.  PRT efforts include granting business micro-grants (totaling $172,000) for men and women in Al Qurnah, Al Tamoma, Hota and Shatt al Arab areas.  The PRT also granted $42,000 to small businesses involved in areas such as producing traditional Iraqi handicrafts.
• USAID's Basrah Community Action Program formed 70 local groups that carried out 106 projects in 2009 including repairing school rooms, rehabilitation of sports clubs, small road improvements, and small bridge construction for their neighborhoods.

Courts and Public Safety:  PRT Basrah is implementing projects totaling
$14.6 million to improve accountability and effectiveness of services
administered by policing, corrections, judicial, and other legal
institutions:

• Constructing the Basrah Central Prison ($10 million) will provide a new 1200 capacity prison for Basrah and will relieve overcrowding in the Al Maqil and Al Medina prisons. Estimated completion is March.
• Constructing the Al Medina Courthouse ($1.7 million) will provide a new district courthouse to better service the people of the Al Medina district. Estimated completion is May.
• The recently opened Shatt Al Arab Courthouse ($2 million) provided a new courthouse for Al Tennumah.
• Renovations ($450,000) of the Basrah Police Forensic Laboratory at the Police Headquarters will provide modern equipment that will improve criminal case processing and help catch serious criminals and terrorists as well as exonerating the innocent.  Estimated completion is April.
• Completion of a $400,000 renovation, furnishing, and computer equipping for the Iraq Jurists' Union building.
• The PRT's Access to Justice project will provide criminal defense representation for 450 defendants awaiting trial.  This will relieve overcrowding in detention facilities and to promote better criminal defense practices in accordance with the rights of the Iraqi Constitution.
• The PRT provided hundreds of law books for the Basrah University Law School, Provincial Council legal staff, and the Iraqi Bar Association with up to date legal texts in Arabic.
• Reconstruction of the generators for the Al Ashar courthouse complex in downtown Basrah.  This relieved a serious lack of power and air conditioning in the summer months.