Security costs drain funds for water projects in Iraq

The country's supply of clean water is being seriously threatened, because of shrinking funds from the United States and an outdated water treatment and sewage system.

The country's 229 operating water treatment plants are old and badly in need of repairs. Thirsty culprits have shot or drilled holes in some water lines to steal fresh water. That has dropped water pressure to homes and contaminated supplies. Sewage from cities and towns that lack processing networks — more than 90% of the municipalities around the country — seeps into the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the two main sources for drinking water in Iraq.

The Municipalities and Public Works Ministry provides services to 17 million Iraqis, or 70% of the total population. Of those 17 million, more than 30% have no access to drinkable water.

Under Saddam Hussein,water took a back seat. The last water treatment plant was commissioned in 1989, even though the need for more drinking water grew dire as the population expanded at a rate of 3% a year.

After Saddam's regime fell in 2003, public works bureaucrats were given their own ministry, and the United States pledged $3.65 billion toward it. But as the insurgency intensified, all but $1 billion was diverted to security and other vital needs.

Without security, insurgents jeopardize investments in strategic sectors such as water and sanitation, oil, and electricity, as contractors are unable to implement or maintain projects.

Without the funds, water projects have dried up. Two years ago, 15 water treatment projects were launched across Iraq. Last year, none was initiated.

Iraqis are taking creative measures to compensate for the dearth of clean water. Some have been using less or storing available water in vats. Others have illegally siphoned water from distribution pipes.

Lack of clean water has led to water-borne diseases.Sadr City, a Baghdad slum, experienced an outbreak of infectious hepatitis few months ago because of a lack of good running water. Two years ago, another Baghdad neighborhood was hit with a rash of typhoid.