Iraq, Babil: corruption blamed for cholera outbreak

A deadly outbreak of cholera in [ in Babil province], Iraq is being blamed on a scandal involving corrupt officials who failed to sterilise the local drinking water because they were bribed to buy chlorine from Iran that was long past its expiration date.

[...] The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has appointed a commission of inquiry to find out why ineffective chlorine was being used. He is also refusing to release three officials [from the Badr Organisation, the militia wing of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI)] under arrest despite demands from the ISCI. In the town of al-Madhatiya, in southern Babil, a councillor involved in buying the chlorine was reportedly released after militiamen connected to ISCI intimidated police into freeing him.

The scandal over the contract is becoming a test case of the Maliki government’s willingness to tackle the pervasive corruption in Iraq [and its] ability to exercise central control over ISCI and parties which have been hitherto dominant outside Baghdad.

[...] An Iraqi government official, who did not want his name published, said the Health Ministry bought $11m (£6.4m) worth of chlorine from Iran for use in the provinces of Babil, Diwaniyah and Kerbala. [...] In the latter two provinces, officials noticed that the chlorine was old [...] and refused to use it. But in Babil the chlorine was put in the fresh water supply stations at al-Madhatiyah, al-Hashimiyah and al-Qasim, south-east of the provincial capital, al-Hillah. Soon 222 people were confirmed as having cholera in Babil, in a total of 420 cases of whom seven have died.

For updates of cholera in Iraq go the WHO web site

Source: Patrick Cockburn, The Independent, 10 Oct 2008

Iraq, Fallujah: U.S. Showcase Water Project Plagued by Problems

A U.S.-funded water-treatment system for the city of Fallujah [that was meant to show US commitment to rebuilding the predominantly Sunni city] will be completed at least three years late, cost more than three times as much as originally planned and serve only a fraction of the city, according to a report by the official monitoring Iraq’s reconstruction.

The $32.5 million project was launched in July 2004 — when insurgents largely controlled the city — and U.S. officials expected it to be completed in January 2006, according to [the October 2008 quarterly report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction]. Now, the main contractor assigned to the project has been let go, costs have ballooned to $98 million and the system, which is expected to be operational in April [2009] , will serve 38 percent of the city’s 400,000 residents, inspector general Stuart W. Bowen Jr. concluded.

[...]

The multibillion-dollar U.S. effort to rebuild Iraq’s ailing infrastructure has been stymied by violence, bureaucratic infighting, poor performance by contractors and disagreements between American and Iraqi officials.

Read more: Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post, 27 Oct 2008

First Arab Water Forum held in Riyadh, 16-19 November 2008

The 1st Arab Water Forum (AWF) was held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with two other big events: the 3rd International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments, and the awards ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. The Arab Water Council (AWC) is set to organize Arab Water Forums (AWF) every three years prior to the World Water Forums to become the most important inclusive water-related event at the regional level. The objective of the AWFs is to mobilize all water stakeholders in the region, to identify priorities of water-related issues and define solutions that can successfully address regional and country specific water challenges.

The AWF comes only four months before the 5th World Water Forum (WWF5) that will be held in Istanbul on 16-22 March 2009 with the main theme “Bridging Divides for Water”. Hence, the AWF focussed on presenting and discussing the progress of the MENA/Arab Region’s preparatory processes towards the WWF5, for which the AWC acts as the regional coordinator.

The preparatory documents of 1st AWF are available on the Arab Water Council web site [please note that many of the links were broken on 22 Dec 2008].

The Water Demand Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa (WaDImena) presented progress and findings of its applied research and pilot projects at the AWF. See a list of presentations below:

• Water Governance in MENA Region InWent experience
• GICs in Tunisia – by A BelHassan
• Greywater reuse in Jordan – by N AlHmoud
• Greywater reuse in Lebanon – by Ghogassian
• Saline water use in Morocco – by M Chati
• Wastewater reuse in Palestine – by M AbuMadi
• Bridging divides bet rich & poor – by H Laamrani S AbdDayem K AbuZeid M Hefny
• Challenges of WDM in MENA – by H Laamrani
• Inwent experience in MENA – by V Detlef
• Theme 4 Governance and Management – by H Laamrani
• WDM Tunisian experience – A Hamdane
• WDM in Jordan

Source: IDRC, 27 Nov 2008

Arab Countries need $200 billion in water-related infrastructure

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) estimates that Arab countries may need to invest up to $200 billion in water-related infrastructure over the next ten years, in order to meet the rapidly growing demand for water and sanitation services. An estimated 50 million people lack access to safe drinking water in the Arab world and 97 million lack access to adequate sanitation.

IDB sees a greater role for the private sector in meeting demand for water and sanitation infrastructure services over the next decade. To date, IDB has provided more than $2.5 billion of assistance in the water sector to its 56 member countries. IDB is a founding member of the Cairo-based Arab Water Council and the Arab Water Academy.

[...] With as much as 80-90 percent of the total water allocation going to irrigation, there is growing competition in the Arab Region amongst the main water using sector: domestic, industrial and irrigation. [...] The IDB Group Vision 2020, a blue print for its long-term objectives, has singled out the provision of water and sanitation as one of its main themes.

IDB co-hosted the 11th meeting of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) in Riyadh [from 17-19 November 2008] in conjunction with the 1st Arab Water Forum and the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water award ceremony. At the meeting, which was chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands,  IDB and UNSGAB signed a cooperation agreement, which will focus primarily on financing, sanitation services, water operators partnerships and integrated water resources management.

Source: IDB, 26 Nov 2008