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Women waiting in line for water in Basra by Hannu PesonenWater Shortages Continue in Basra, Iraq

April 29, 2003 Click to Visit Global News

By Hannu Pesonen

The water lies stagnant and dirty in the irrigation canals of some of the poorest suburbs of Basra, Iraq's second largest city. Green and foul, this is the water that the city's two million inhabitants use for washing. And if for some reason, the water tanks brought in by NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) cannot get through to the areas, people come to these canals and the dilapidated wells to draw their drinking water.

Basra is still suffering from a shortage of water. The situation was bad even before the war, reminds Tor Valla, a water engineer with Action by Churches Together (ACT) International member, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). Valla and other NCA staff have been seconded to UNICEF and were amongst the first people to start distributing water in southern Iraq in early April, while the war on Iraq was still going on. Several members of ACT International have helped fund this work.

Men waiting in line for water in Basra by Hannu PesonenPure drinking water used to be provided by small local waterworks, which are now either destroyed or simply not working due to lack of maintenance. Now, people rely on the water tankers that trundle into these poor suburbs daily. The trucks bring crowds of people out onto the dusty streets, desperate to fill jerry cans, buckets, and pails - anything that will hold water.

Summer is close, and already temperatures soar to 95 degrees (35 degrees Celsius). Clean water is desperately needed for health reasons. Already, before the war, the inhabitants of southern Iraq, who are mainly Shi'a Muslims, suffered deprivations under the Saddam regime. High infant mortality rates were the rule, high malnutrition rates amongst children was rife and generally and people's resistance to diseases, low.

In spite of the big crowd and ensuing tumult when the water tankers roll in, the distribution of water usually goes smoothly and peacefully. More than 40 water tanks carry water daily to southern Iraq from pumping stations in Kuwait. Besides Basra, they also serve other population centers like Umm Qasr, Zubeir and Safwan. Travelling between Kuwait and Basra is still considered risky because of armed bandits roaming the roads, but it has seldom been necessary to cancel the transportation due to security problems.

The Norwegian engineers have already started providing water purification equipment and have been repairing waterworks in the area. Many hospitals have also been furnished with water reservoirs, securing clean water for the patients.

Hannu Pesonen is a Finnish journalist, who on behalf of FinnChurchAid visited Iraq in mid-April. Photos credit: Hannu Pesonen

Source: Action by Churches Together, http://www.act-intl.org.

How to Help

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is one of Action by Churches Together's (ACT) partners in this humanitarian response. ACT is an ecumenical coalition that includes many groups, such as the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Church World Service (CWS). One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gift to Advance #623225 "Iraq Emergency" will be used for this response. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts. Give through a local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.