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Addressing Water and Wastewater Issues in Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah, Iraq
October 2003
An unusable water tower that was damaged during the war in Nasiriyah. Distribution of potable water remains a big problem for the citizens, as existing water lines are often contaminated because of a high water table and the presence of open sewage.
An extremely high water table, the lack of any drainage systems and the open-air sewage canals create stagnant pools near a residential area of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. Distribution of potable water remains a big problem for the citizens. Existing water lines are few and are often contaminated because of a high water table and the presence of open sewage. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
Iraqi residents have to cross an open canal of wastewater to get to their houses in a residential area of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. Distribution of potable water remains a big problem for the citizens. Existing water lines are few and are often contaminated because of a high water table and the presence of open sewage. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
A potable water main runs through a raw sewage canal near a residential area of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. Distribution of potable water remains a big problem for the citizens. Existing water lines are few and are often contaminated because of a high water table and the presence of open sewage. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
A potable water main, crudely repaired with plastic bags, runs through a raw sewage canal near a residential area of Nasiryah, southern, Iraq. Distribution of potable water remains a big problem for the citizens. USAID partner, RTI is working on solutions for aging and poorly maintianed water and wastewater infastructure.
Raw sewage is dumped into the Euphrates River at Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. Wastewater treatment plants were insufficient before the war, and many were looted in the aftermath. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
An extremely high water table, the lack of any drainage systems and the open-air sewage canals create stagnant pools near a residential area of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
Cleanup crews collect garbage in a residential neighborhood of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. USAID partner RTI works with Iraqi laborers to organize regular trash collection.
In a residential neighborhood of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, an Iraqi child passes raw sewage and garbage on his way home from school. The lack of a drainage system, a high water table and the open-air sewage canals have created health issues. USAID partner RTI is working to organize regular trash collection and to address poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
As he passes raw sewage and garbage on his way home from school, an Iraqi child greets a foreigner. The lack of a drainage system, a high water table and the open-air sewage canals have created health issues. USAID partner RTI is working to organize regular trash collection and to address poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
In a residential neighborhood of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, children return from school past raw sewage and garbage. The lack of drainage systems, a high water table and the open-air sewage canals have created health issues. USAID partner RTI is working to organize regular trash collection and to address poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.
RTI employees inspect a wastewater treatment plant that has not worked in 8 years. During the war the tanks were used by Iraqi soldiers to store petroleum products. USAID partner RTI is finding solutions for the aging, poorly maintained water and wastewater infrastructures.

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Water and Sanitation

USAID’s goal is to improve the efficiency and reliability of existing water and wastewater treatment facilities, especially those in the south where water quantity and quality are particularly low. An anticipated 11.8 million Iraqis will benefit from USAID’s $600 million in water and sanitation projects.

Highlights This Week:

    Photo:
    Workers installing a sand layer in a Baghdad water treatment plant sand filter
  • Expansion of a major water treatment plant serving Baghdad and surrounding areas is continuing and is approximately 75% complete. This project will produce approximately 250 million gallons of potable drinking water per day for Baghdad residents.
  • A new training course on the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) is being developed in preparation for a mapping activity that will be the basis of a master plan for the improvement of sewerage services in Baghdad. USAID’s Local Governance Program (LGP) advisors are providing technical assistance.
  • USAID projects to improve the provision of potable water in the Basrah area are progressing according to schedule. To date, ten of the 14 water treatment plants are substantially complete and are undergoing inspection. The final four plants are expected to be complete by the end of October.
  • USAID’s new rural water initiative is underway; since construction began in September 2004, eleven wells have been drilled in Diyala’ and Salah ad Din Governorates. These wells will bring water to rural communities with populations of 1,000 to 5,000. The project, which falls under USAID’s Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program, will install approximately 150 wells in 300 rural communities.
  • Local government officials are working with LGP staff members to improve the delivery of clean water throughout the country. On September 20, LGP staff in Arbil Governorate met with officials from the Directorate of Irrigation and Water Resources to prepare assessments and guidelines for the allocation of water resources throughout the North. In Babil Governorate, LGP staff met with representatives of a local Water Department, to provide technical assistance for preparation of the water supply projects.

Major Accomplishments to Date:

  • Nationwide: Repaired various lift stations and treatment units.
  • Baghdad: Expanding one water treatment plant to increase capacity by more than 50 million gallons per day and rehabilitating sewage treatment plants.
  • A major wastewater treatment plant in Baghdad began operating in June of 2004; this is the first major plant in the country to operate in over 12 years.
  • The sewage treatment system in Baghdad, barely functioning for years before the conflict, will be restored to almost 100-percent capacity, serving 80 percent of Baghdad's population.
  • Standby generators are being installed at 41 Baghdad water facilities.
  • South: Rehabilitating parts of the Sweet Water Canal system, including repairing breaches, cleaning the main reservoir, and refurbishing 14 water treatment plants around Basrah serving 1.75 million people.
  • South Central: Rehabilitating two water plants and four sewage plants.
  • Sewage plants in An Najaf, Al Qadisiyah, Karbala', and Babil Governorates will serve 440,000.
  • Water treatment in Najaf and Babil will serve residents and visitors at Iraq's holiest shrines.
  • North: Rehabilitating two water plants and one sewage plant near Mosul and Kirkuk.

More Information:

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Last Updated on: October 13, 2004