This thread will be for water related projects.

Here are some projects by the US Army Corp of Engineers:

USACE completes a water compact unit to provide clean water to Iraq’s rural area (Small water purification unit)
http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR10-10-06.pdf


Capacity development a high priority as USACE in Iraq aims for mission completion (Training Iraqis to run water treatment plants)
http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR10-10-05.pdf

Still looking for more. Trying to find more information about Turkey, Syria, and Iraq's negotiations on water sharing.

Iraq Ministry of Water Website with list of projects:
English - http://www.mowr.gov.iq/english/
Arabic - http://www.mowr.gov.iq/arabi/

Iraq is facing a serious challenge to future growth due to limited water resources. It shares the Euphrates and Tigris with Turkey and Syria who rely on the rivers for irrigation and hydropower. It will be interesting to see if these three nations can come to some sort of agreement on sharing the water. However, the likelihood that Turkey and Syria will increase the amount of water released downstream is slim.

Turkey-Iraq-Syria to form a water institution
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/turkey/8447636.asp?gid=231&sz=47722

Basra’s Shat al-Arab Canal project’s corner stone laid
December 2, 2010 - 03:44:18
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The corner stone for a 350 billion (b) dinar Shat al-Arab Canal project, aimed at pumping pure water for Basra Province and irrigation water for 250,000 donums of agricultural lands, had been laid down by the Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday.
“The Irrigation Ministry has celebrated today (Thursday), under the auspices of its Minister, Abdul-Latif Jamal Rashid, the laying of the corner stone for Shat al-Arab Irrigation project in Basra Province, as part of an agricultural initiative by the Iraqi government,” an Irrigation Ministry statement said.
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, had launched a general initiative to raise the agricultural states in the country in July, 2007, with a 10-year plan to achieve self-sustainability from “strategic crops.”
The initiative comprised, among other goals, supplying farmers with seeds, fertilizers, agricultural insecticides, as well as lands reforms and guaranteeing the purchase of their so-called “strategic crops,” with market prices, along with the observation of agricultural and animal diseases and granting financial assistance for peasants and farmers.

BAGHDAD (AFP) – Record low water levels at Iraq's largest hydroelectric dam have ground turbines there to a halt, amplifying a power shortage that led to riots last summer, a top official said on Thursday.
Adel Mahdi, advisor to the electricity minister, said water levels at the Mosul dam on the Tigris River had fallen to 298 metres (977 feet) above sea level.
"It is the first time since 1984 when the dam was built that water levels have fallen this low," Mahdi told AFP.
"The installed power generation capacity of Mosul's hydroelectric plant is 1,175 megawatts, but the current production is zero, because the turbines need a minimum water level of 307 metres (1,007 feet) to operate," he added.
He said half of the water to the dam was coming from Turkey, and the rest from Iran and the mountains of Iraq.
The Tigris and Euphrates which gave Iraq its ancient name of Mesopotamia, meaning "land of two rivers," reach Iraq through Turkey.
The Tigris flows directly from Turkey, and the Euphrates goes from Turkey through Syria, then flows to Iraq. Water projects in the two countries have had a severe impact on Iraq.
Mahdi said Iraq also was eyeing with extreme worry Turkey's controversial Aliso dam on the Tigris, work on which began in 2006.
"If Aliso is completed, it will finish with the Tigris in Iraq completely," Mahdi said.
Mahdi said hydropower from Iraq's Haditha dam on the Euphrates was also operating at less than 50 percent of capacity because of water shortages due to irrigation and dam projects in Turkey.
He added that Iraqis will have to endure power outages next summer as well, because additional supply would be matched by an expected 10 percent rise in demand, leaving Iraqis with an average of eight hours of power per day.
Mahdi said the situation would not improve before 2013, when projects in the pipeline now would add another 10,000 megawatts to the grid.
He put overall Iraqi electricity demand at 15,000 megawatts, and supply at 8,500 megawatts.
Due to the shortfall, homes and businesses nationwide suffer daily cuts and rely on private generators to fill the gap, as the war-ravaged country struggles to boost capacity.
Angry Iraqis staged violent demonstrations last summer in several southern cities over power rationing as temperatures reached 54 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit).
Iraq's infrastructure was devastated during the 2003 US-led invasion and more than a decade of sanctions that preceded it.

iraq should stop selling oil and gas to turkey they should close the pipelines from kerkoek to turkey

They should start an economic war against them

It will also be bad for Iraq

but this can not

^^ +1

as I said many times before, as long as Iraq is divided, our "friendly" neighbours will continue to abuse us.. it is in their interest to have a weak Iraq..

We all must unite, we are all in the same boat, doesn't matter which province, what ethncity, religion, or creed. United we stand, divided we fall..

if we had a strong undevided goverment, then Iraq will be delt with more seriously and carefully by our neighbours..

^^ As much as i agree with you, the problem is our fault and not our neighbours, its inevitable they would use us but we need to be the smart ones and take charge, sadly that will take a long with the majority of the Iraqi mentality.

this could be the cause for the reduced water coming in...

More than anywhere else, exports from the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep and a number of its neighboring provinces are currently being sent to Iraq, according to data recently announced by a Turkish exporters’ union.

Iraq is currently receiving 46 percent of exports, worth of a total of $5.2 billion, produced in the regional provinces last year, the Southeast Anatolia Exporters’ Union, or GAİB told Anatolia news agency.

Iraq also took the top spot in GAİB’s 2009 exports list, while the combined regional cities’ exports to Iraq were worth $2.4 billion in 2010.

Gaziantep and its neighbors exported 2.5 times more goods to Iraq than they exported to a combined 26 European Union countries, according to the data. Regional exports to the same EU countries totaled $985.8 million in 2010.

Exports from Turkey’s southeast to the EU increased by 19 percent in 2010, compared to a year earlier, significantly lower than 43 percent increase in the amount of goods traveling to Iraq.

The main exports to Iraq from the southeastern region in 2010 included $681 million worth of textile products and raw materials, $98.9 million worth of machine-made carpet, $10 million worth of dried fruit and goods, $582 million worth of cereals and pulse and $37.3 million worth of animal products.

South Eastern Turkey's using more water for farming / industrial use that they export to Iraq! Solution, as i said before, is very simple. Do not buy any produce that uses water from any of the upstream countries along the euphrates/tigris basin.

this could be the cause for the reduced water coming in...



South Eastern Turkey's using more water for farming / industrial use that they export to Iraq! Solution, as i said before, is very simple. Do not buy any produce that uses water from any of the upstream countries along the euphrates/tigris basin.

+1000

couldn't agree more.. cut food imports from turkey/Syria ..

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5jX7wPjsvz9704hZFK6bjMeEZs3UA?docId=photo_1297360700133-1-0&size=l

Water shortages to force Mideast cooperation: study

GENEVA — A report for the Swiss and Swedish governments warned on Thursday that water shortages in the Middle East were so alarming that opposing camps in the region would have little choice but to cooperate.

Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey called for closer cooperation between Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel on managing increasingly scarce water resources, arguing that water could also be used to forge a "blue peace."

"The report comes to an alarming conclusion; five of the seven countries are experiencing a structural shortage and debit of most of the big rivers has declined by 50 to 90 percent between 1960," she told journalists.

"In the future the main geopolitical resource in the Middle East will be water more than oil," she added, warning that it was closely tied to peace efforts.

The report by an Indian thinktank, Strategic Foresight Group, highlighted huge depletion of major rivers such as the Jordan and Yarmouk in the past half a century, the punctual depletion of the Euphrates by drought and the shrinkage of the Dead Sea to a small lake by 2050.

However, the report also acknowledged the difference between the countries, with upstream Turkey in a position to "influence prospects of peace" despite the collapse of 1980s plan to pipe water to Israel and Gulf states.

Downstream territories such as Israel, Jordan and Palestinian territories were in the worst position with mounting clean water deficits of up to 500-700 million cubic metres each.

The report also argued that technical solutions such as desalination or wastewater recycling in Israel would ultimately have limited scope.

"Purely unilateral solutions will mainly work for a decade or so but Israel will have to look for external sources and regional cooperation beyond 2020 to ensure its water security," it said.

Swiss diplomats said they had already started to lobby the seven governments for a joint water cooperation council expanding on an nascent Turkish, Iraqi, Jordanian and Syrian effort, as well as other steps, even if they admitted that it would be challenging.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jYI9usch8mq-RpV_YslAa2erdqgw?docId=CNG.72a0968e479299b2304a8b66d69f9e56.731&index=0

Anyone know what is going on in the picture? That is the Tigris in Baghdad.

Iraq water shortages raising ethnic tensions

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hNTr6MIUalCrIko8PO3SVyYqV20A?docId=CNG.e879b80d1011df0465e895c1c65e4e6d.91

Iraq's largest hydropower dam grinds to halt

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixoIxU2WuFezbANlU067Hbbf4s6Q?docId=CNG.57025422a2e911c2f1cb922750725d5c.5a1

My major in college was water resources, hence my interest in this thread. Here are some silly ideas that someone in Iraq has probably already thought of.

In the world of water resources there is the "water-energy nexus." It basically states that it takes energy to make water and vice versa. A lot of articles mention the poor state of Iraq's water and electricity infrastructure. Iraqi's need electricity to produce and deliver safe drinking water yet they need water to produce the electricity.

Like most other nations, Iraq's agriculture sectors is the largest net consumer of the nation's water resources. Due to embargoes and war, investment in Iraq's agriculture sector has been limited. Chances are most of the farmers rely on poorly built and maintained irrigation systems to distribute water via flood irrigation, resulting in massive loss of water to leakage. New irrigation technologies like drip irrigation use a only a fraction of the water as flood irrigation (and is more efficient at distributing fertilizer but that is a different topic). This means more water is available for users downstream and also for Iraqi farmers to increase production.

When a city takes water from a river, it must first treat it to make it safe. However, water quality decrease further downstream as sewage and agriculture runoff enters the stream. This results in greater costs to treat the water. Also dependent on river are power plants. Overall consumption can be reduced if treated wastewater (treated but not up to drinking standards) is used for cooling thermal power plants.

Another huge investment will need to be municipal water distribution networks. Many major American cities are guilty of wasting +20% of their water to leaking pipes, imagine the state of those in Baghdad.

There is also the remote possibility of constructing a desalination plant, maybe in conjunction with Kuwait, for Basra.

Last but not least is Turkey. It would be great if Iraq can make an arrangement with Turkey that ensures a certain percentage will reach the border. However, the issue with international water compacts is that little can be done to enforce them. We (the US) have agreements with Mexico and Canada. The Rio Grande River, or the Rio Bravo as out friends to the south call it, usually resembles a creek because most of its tributaries are in Mexico (and New Mexico) and do not contribute water. American farmers can complain that they are not able to access water they are legally entitled to but there is little they can do.

^^ that's great advice ardamir

Anyone know what is going on in the picture? That is the Tigris in Baghdad.

yes I'm almost sure that's the Tigris :ohno:


the water shortage problem is more than just economical for Iraq.. it is also cultural, it's part of our identity, for thousands of years our region is known as Mesopotamia (the land between two rivers). Our folklore, and heritage often involve the Euphrates and the Tigris.. It's like talking about Egypt and the Nile,

It's no surprise that Iraqis feel extremely passionate about this issue. , perhaps more than our neighbors.

Sewage water plant opened in Muthanna
3/10/2011 7:12 PM

MUTHANNA / Aswat al-Iraq: Minister of Municipalities & Public Works Adil Mihawder on Thursday inaugurated a sewage water treatment plant in the province of al-Muthanna, adding the plant and another water desalination project cost 160 billion Iraqi dinars.

“The plant should filter the sanitary sewage water coming from al-Samawa network after the completion of a project to stretch the networks in the city, expected to be finalized within months,” Mihawder, who is on a visit to Muthanna since Wednesday (March 9), said during the inauguration ceremony.

“The greater Samawa water project, referred for implementation at a total cost of 129.500 billion dinars, will operate at a capacity of 10,000 cubic meter per hour, which should secure the province’s drinking water needs,” he said.

“The plant envisages eight operational facilities to filter and recycle sewage water, three pumping stations, five service buildings and three lodges for engineers working on the project.
The total cost of this project exceeded 31.400 billion dinars,” the minister told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He noted that the project’s capacity is 32,000 cubic meters per day.
“The project, targeting the service of 128,000 local residents, stands over an area of 120 donums (300 square kilometers).”

One Iraqi donum equals 2500 square meters.

“The project would recycle sanitary sewage water to use in agriculture and also produce organic fertilizers,” he said.

Samawa, the capital city of al-Muthanna province, lies 280 km south of Baghdad.

AmR (TS)

68 billion dinar sewage project in Baghdad. Wont let me copy and paste.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093399076

Iraq wastes 50% of water: UNICEF
(AFP) – 11 hours ago
BAGHDAD — Fifty percent of water resources are wasted in Iraq, where six million people have no access to clean water, the United Nations said on Monday, the eve of World Water Day.
"Iraq faces difficulties in meeting the target of 91 percent of households using a safe drinking water supply by 2015," due to decades of conflict, sanctions and neglect, the UNICEF children's fund said in a statement.
"Iraq's average water production level per person, at 327 litres (86 gallons)/capita/day, is considered high by international standards but around 50 percent of the water produced is lost to seepage, leakage and wastage due to system inefficiencies," it said.
"One in five or around six million Iraqis do not have access to safe water, of which the vast majority are in rural areas," it added.
It said more than 500,000 Iraqi children access their water from a river or creek and that over 200,000 access their water from an open well.
In rural areas, one in four children access their water from rivers and creeks and nearly one in 10 use tanker trucks and open wells respectively.
Water-borne diseases are widespread due to polluted drinking water supplies, said the statement.
In the first six months of 2010, there were over 360,000 diarrhea cases as a result of polluted drinking water and a lack of hygiene awareness among local communities, particularly vulnerable groups such as women and children.
"Every day at least 250,000 tonnes of raw sewage is pumped into the Tigris river threatening unprotected water sources and the entire water distribution system," it added.
UNICEF said it had supported a variety of projects to improve Iraq's water situation, including awareness and training campaigns.
UNICEF and the European Union are celebrating Water Day in Iraq with a number of events, including celebrations in 23 schools.
Eleven thousand primary school children will join UNICEF in calling for more investments in water infrastructure, the conservation of water resources and keeping these resources free from pollution.

It will be incredibly expensive and time consuming to replace/repair all the water distribution infrastructure. This will be an issue that will affect Iraq for decades.

Syria siphoning water from the river Tigris .. Iraqis are enraged about this project.. since the Tigris hardly passes through Syria:

Vm1Hjj0c2J8

Kurdistan Building 11 Dams, Plans 28 More

28 March 2011.

In a move that could increase tensions over water supplies, the Kurdistan region’s minister for agriculture has announced that the Region is building 11 dams and plan dozens more.

“There are 11 dams now under construction,” Jameel Sulaiman told AFP. “We have studies and designs to build 28 more,” he added.

He said that the dams currently under construction in Kurdistan were “small and medium size,” with storage capacities ranging between one million cubic metres (35 million cubic feet) to 10 million cubic metres.

Four were being built in Erbil, five in Sulaimaniyah and two in Dohuk, but he did not say when they would be completed.

“We are building these dams in order to develop the agricultural sector in the region, and for water storage, because Iraq has suffered droughts for the past several years,” Sulaiman said.

Water is a major source of tension in Iraq, especially between the Kurdistan region and other provinces.

In the multi-ethnic Kirkuk province, Arab farmers accuse the Kurdistan region of ruining them by closing the valves to a dam in winter.

A growing water deficit and dams built by Iraq’s neighbours have significantly reduced the water flow in a country that was until the late 1950s a breadbasket of the Arab world.

Syria siphoning water from the river Tigris .. Iraqis are enraged about this project.. since the Tigris hardly passes through Syria:

Vm1Hjj0c2J8

that's very bad...!

^^ noticed that it's financed by Kuwait... surprise surprise..

BAGHDAD, 18 April 2011 (IRIN) - Iraq is renewing efforts to reach deals with Syria and Turkey to increase water levels on the River Euphrates which flows from these two countries into Iraq, and on which Iraq is heavily dependent for agriculture and electricity generation.

Turkey has tentatively agreed to increase water levels on the river to allow Iraq to reactivate the 400-megawatt Haditha hydroelectric power station, officials say.

The deal - set to be concluded in two months’ time - could be part of a wider agreement with Turkey to import 200 megawatts of electricity, said a spokesman of the Iraqi Electricity Ministry, Musaab Al-Mudaris.

An Iraqi delegation is heading to Syria later this week to try to strike a similar deal. In recent years water levels have steadily fallen on the Euphrates due to below-average rainfall and the construction of dams in Turkey and Syria.

Iraq produces about 7,500 megawatts a day - less than half of current demand - and low water levels on the Euphrates (and the Tigris) have forced some hydroelectricity plants to reduce output or close.

For many years Iraqi officials have been pressing Syria and Turkey to sign agreements specifying a fixed share of the water from these two rivers for Iraq, but no deal has been reached.

“Iraq could experience more (water-related) problems, complexities and challenges unless it gets its fair share of water… Iraq faces great challenges in maintaining its wetlands and agricultural land,” said Ali Al-Alak, the Cabinet general secretary.


http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=92504

^^ noticed that it's financed by Kuwait... surprise surprise..

lol oh brother..

Iraq Diyala Province to build water purification station

Friday, April 15, 2011 16:05 GMT
Diyala Province Water Directorate said on Thursday that it deferred to implementation a project to build a strategic water purification station west of Baquba with a cost of 39 billion Iraqi Dinars stressing that the project will provide potable water for about 150 thousand Iraqi citizen.
“The directorate deferred the project of building a water station at Bani Saad region (17 km southwest Baaquba) to a specialized Iraqi company to implement it”, Diyala water directorate manager Mortada Al Makdami told Alsumarianews. “The cost of the project is 39 billion Iraqi Dinars allocated from the investment budget of Iraq Ministry of Municipalities and Public works for the current year”, he added.
“The time-line to finish all this project is 20 months and the capacity thereof is 4000 meters per hour which will provide potable water to the entire region of Bani Saad and neighboring agricultural villages”, Makdami added.

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Economics-News-Iraq/3-63045-Iraq-Diyala-Province-to-build-water-purification-station.html

New Water Project Opened in Baghdad

Posted on 14 July 2011.

Baghdad Governorate inaugurated a new water project on Thursday, reports Aswat al-Iraq.

The Zuhoor water project in the Husainiyah area of Baghdad, has a production capacity of 800,000 cubic meters per hour, and a cost of 5 billion Iraqi dinars [4 million dollars], according to a statement issued by the Governor’s office.

The project will serve more than 100,000 residents in the area.

good news!

Iraq in accordance with 12 Turkish companies on the implementation of the irrigation work
September 15


The adviser in the Iraqi government on Thursday that Iraq has agreed with 12 Turkish companies to implement the irrigation work.

Said Abdul-Hussein Al Jabri told the Kurdish news agency (Rn) that "the Iraqi government agreed with 12 Turkish companies are the leaders in Turkey for the implementation of the irrigation work and land reclamation and treatment of waste water."

He explained that "irrigation projects continue to 5 years and will help Turkish companies state-owned enterprises and the development of its work, including contributing to the political support of Iraq's irrigation."

He added that "companies will work on a payment on credit from the budget in 2012 and will implement the projects within the plan of the Ministry of Water Resources."

He noted that "Iraq is a plan to address the waste of water, land reclamation and stressed the expansion of modern irrigation methods that contribute to reducing the amount of waste water."

And decided to Ministry of Water Resources on August 24 / August, increased releases of water of the Tigris River to 75 m 3 / s to reduce the high percentage of the saline tongue in the Shatt al Arab.

And the Iraqi government to address the obstacles and problems facing the implementation of its plans for the development of water resources and agricultural water and solve the problem with Turkey and Iran through joint committees.

And hold Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran responsible for lack of water levels of rivers entering the residence due to irrigation work and the farm.

Turkish companies? u have water issues u go with the best, u go with an Israeli company...! ;)

Turkish companies? u have water issues u go with the best, u go with an Israeli company...! ;)

if i was in charge i wouldnt give a crap about the whole palestine israel situation ... if an israeli does the job and he does it well then I would hire him !

if i was in charge i wouldnt give a crap about the whole palestine israel situation ... if an israeli does the job and he does it well then I would hire him !

we have an Israeli water news as well u should check it out...the latest news was this...

Proposal would allow desalinated water to account for 85 percent of domestic consumption by the year 2013.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1156687

Baghdad Municipality allocated 267 billion dinars for the development of water sector
May 1 2012


Baghdad Municipality allocated (267) billion dinars for the advancement of pure water sector and complete the implementation of strategic projects in the capital Baghdad as part of the investment plan for the current year.

According to the Directorate of relations and the media in a statement received news agency public opinion (and babysit) "that the secretariat of Baghdad allocated (10) billion dinars to modernize the networks of pure water and (8) billion dinars for the extension of networks of pure water for discharge and new neighborhoods and (10.5) billion dinars for the rehabilitation projects liquidation and (4) billion dinars to extend water lines to the tanker net .. "The Secretariat has allocated (4) billion dinars to extend the lines of a tanker of water crude and (10) billion dinars for the processing pipeline Canutaal and plastic with accessories and (15) billion dinars to complete the implementation of the reservoirs earthly in (R3 and (R9 in Jadriya and crumb and thirst."

It showed that "the Secretariat has allocated too (200) billion dinars for the establishment of the center of the filter with civil works, electrical, mechanical and the establishment of a power station and remove symptoms and owning a private project Rusafa water giant, in addition to the allocation of two billion dinars for the preparation of studies and designs.

Did you put that through a translator?

Iraq's PM warns Arab states may face 'water war'
Arab states could be headed towards a future war over water if they do not act quickly to tackle shortages, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has warned.
At a conference in Baghdad, he urged countries to work together in order to prevent conflict in the arid region.
Issues include desertification, poor water management, and the need for most Arab countries to rely on the goodwill of upstream states for river water.
Arab countries are seeking to address the water crisis with a unified plan.
The BBC's Rami Ruhayem in Baghdad says Arab leaders have in the past failed to tackle common crises because of infighting and inefficiency.
And with popular uprisings tearing through the region, their differences seem to be getting even worse, our correspondent adds.
At the conference, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority accused Yemen of wasting a substantial amount of its water on irrigating qat plants, whose leaves are a popular stimulant.
Last year, a report funded by the Swiss and Swedish governments said Iraq's marshlands had reduced in size by 50 to 90% from 1960 to 2000.
In March, a report by the US Director of National Intelligence said a global water war would be unlikely in the next 10 years, but warned that the risk of conflict would increase because demand for water would outstrip current supplies by 40% by 2030.
Past water disputes have contributed to tensions between rivals including Israel and the Palestinians, and Syria and Iraq.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18262496

Iraq’s Cabinet approved a contract valued at 136 billion dinars ($117 million) with Iran’s ICG to reconstruct the sewage system in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, State Minister Ali Al-Dabbagh said.
ICG is due to complete the project within 3 1/2 years, according to an e-mailed statement by Dabbagh, who is also the official government spokesman.

Reuters quotes local media reports in Korea as saying that Ssangyong Engineering & Construction has won a $250 million deal to build a water supply network in Iraq.
The Korean Stock Exchange reportedly asked the company Ssangyong to submit a filing to clarify the report.

Al Amarah Water Treatment Project

Capacity: 16000 m³/ h
Cost: 151.980 Billion Iraqi dinar
Duration: 28 months


December 2010

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December 2011

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/amawat18.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/amawat19.jpg

Karbala Water Treatment Project

City: Karbala
Capacity: 10000m³/ h
Cost: 230 Billion Iraqi dinar
Duration: 21 months

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat.jpg

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http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat11.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat12.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat13.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat14.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/karwat15.jpg

Al Hindiya Water Treatment Project

Location: Karbala Province
Capacity: 2000m³/h
Cost: 32.980 Billion Iraqi dinar
Duration: 18 months

December 2010

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat1.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat2.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat3.jpg

December 2011

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat4.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat5.jpg

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http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat8.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat9.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat10.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat11.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat12.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat13.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat14.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/hinwat15.jpg

lovely! good projects

الموارد المائية تعلن تجفيف ايران مياه نهر الوند بالكامل
أعلنت وزارة الموارد المائية عن قيام ايران بتجفيف مياه نهر الوند بشكل كامل .
وقال مدير عام المشاريع في الوزارة علي هاشم إن الوزارة ابلغت وزارة الخارجية بان ايران قامت بقطع مياه نهر الوند بصورة كاملة الامر الذي اضر عشرات القرى والمدن الواقعة على نهر الوند ،موضحا ان " الوزارة بحاجة إلى اطلاقات مائية تصل 3،7 متر مكعب في الثانية ، لتتمكن الوزارة من توفير الحصص المائية لتلك القرى ".
ويواجه نهر الوند الذي يمر بقضاء خانقين مخاطر الجفاف التام بسبب قطع مياه النهر الذي ينبع من الأراضي الايرانية ويصب داخل العراق من جهته الشرقية وتحديدا في ديالى.
لؤي الربيعي
http://www.alfayhaa.tv/news/economy/86218.html

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6869/water11.png

11.5b dinars allocated to expand water service in Karbala
KARBALA / Aswat al-Iraq: The municipalities ministry has allocated 11.5 billion dinars to implement a project to expand drinking water to Karbala neighborhoods, head of the water commission of the Karbala council said on Wednesday.
"Drinking water will reach Karbala neighborhoods from two stations," Jassem al-Fatlawi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that one station will serve 15 neighborhoods in the western section of the province, while the second station will help 20 neighborhoods in the southeastern Karbala.
Karbala lies 108 km southwest of Baghdad. SH (TP)

Copyright 2012 Aswat al-Iraq - Aswat al-Iraq.
Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company
All Rights Reserved
http://www.waterworld.com/news/2012/08/06/11-5b-dinars-allocated-to-expand-water-service-in-karbala.html

Iraq’s municipalities ministry has allocated 11.5 billion dinars ($9.9 million) for a project to expand drinking water supplies in Karbala, southwest of Baghdad.

The project calls for drinking water from two stations for about 35 neighborhoods in the Karbala area, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency said, citing Jassem al-Fatlawi, head of Karbala council’s water commission. No other details were disclosed.

To contact the reporter on this story: Randall Hackley in Zurich at rhackley@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Randall Hackley at rhackley@bloomberg.net
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-07/iraqi-ministry-approves-karbala-municipal-drinking-water-plan

Iraq signed a contract with Pell Frischmann Ltd. for the design of a $85 million water project in the western Al Anbar province, a local municipal official said.

The U.K.-based consulting company will draw designs for a new water station in Hadeetha, which will pump 4,500 cubic meter of water an hour to feed surrounding towns, within two years, Basim Naji said by phone today. Pell Frischmann will also design an upgrade to an existing water station in the same district which pumps 1,500 cubic meter an hour, he said.

The Iraqi government is seeking foreign investment and expertise to rebuild its infrastructure and energy industry damaged by decades of conflict and sanctions. Iraq holds the fifth-largest proven crude reserves, including Canada’s oil sands, according to data from BP Plc. (BP/)

To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Al-Ansary in the Baghdad through the Dubai newsroom at

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-08/iraq-signs-accord-with-u-dot-k-dot-s-pell-frischmann-on-water-project

----

Iraq, EU Sign Agreement to Improve Water Management
8 Aug 2012 - 00:00 by OOSKAnews Correspondent

IRAQ, BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government last week signed a cooperation agreement with the European Union to improve the country’s water management capabilities.
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/iraq-eu-sign-agreement-improve-water-management_23760

Either the water sector is booming or It's scam projects xD

the drilling fluids article belongs in the oil and gas thread


Pell Frischmann has won a contract in Iraq for the design of a $85 million water project in Anbar province, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The U.K.-based consulting company will designs a new water station in Hadeetha (Haditha), which will pump 4,500 cubic meter of water an hour to surrounding towns, within two years.
The company will also design an upgrade to an existing water station in the same district which pumps 1,500 cubic meter an hour.

Pell Frischmann has won a contract in Iraq for the design of a $85 million water project in Anbar province, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The U.K.-based consulting company will designs a new water station in Hadeetha (Haditha), which will pump 4,500 cubic meter of water an hour to surrounding towns, within two years.
The company will also design an upgrade to an existing water station in the same district which pumps 1,500 cubic meter an hour.
__________________
I have reported this..above

ohhh Sorry ali-iraq. I am indeed blind!

^^getting old 3amu.. :D


Iraq awards $85m electro-mechanical works contract

on Aug 15, 2012

Ho Hup Construction Company has been awarded an $85m (RM267m) contract to design and build civil and electro-mechanical works for the Al-Zuhour Water Project in Baghdad, according to the Malaysian Insider.

The turnkey project, awarded by the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, will see a plant created with a capacity to produce 10,000 cubic metres per hour. The contract also includes supply and installation of equipment and pipe as well as operation and maintenance.

In a statement to the Malaysian stock exchange, the company said: “Construction of the project is planned to commence in September 2012 and is expected to be completed in 30 months, up to February 2015, with a further 12 months of maintenance period of the mechanical, electrical and transmission piping.”

Ho Hup will undertake the role as the main contractor and will appoint local Iraqi sub-contractors for the project execution and project financing.

“The company is of the opinion that the project and country risks associated with this project will be adequately mitigated by the appointment of established and reliable local Iraqi sub-contractors,” it added.

What are our water sector figures?

What is the demand for clean water? How much are we currently supplying?

Chounz mate its pretty clear the rivers and all freshwater supplies will dry out we need fuck loads of desalinated water and recycled sewerage water.. gotta work like the vegas water system

وزارة البلديات تحيل 18 مشروعا للماء والصرف الصحي الى التنفيذ بكلفة 900 مليار دينار
أحالت وزارة البلديات والاشغال العامة 18 مشروعا للماء والصرف الصحي الى التنفيذ من قبل شركات محلية واجنبية خلال العام الجاري بكلفة تجاوزت 900 مليار دينار.
وقالت الوزارة انها تمكنت من احالة المشاريع المذكورة الى شركات محلية واجنبية بهدف النهوض بالواقع الخدمي وبتوجيه من وزير البلديات عادل مهودر، هذا وشملت المشاريع مجاري العمارة بكلفة 82 مليار دينار الى شركة صينية ومشروع مجاري الشطرة بكلفة 109 مليارات الى شركة ايرانية ومشروع مجاري كركوك بكلفة 136 مليار الى شركة ايرانية ومشروع مجاري الحلة بكلفة 104 مليارات دينار الى شركة صينية اضافة الى مشاريع مياه في عدد من المحافظات ..
http://www.alfayhaa.tv/news/economy/86814.html

Water scarcity a top threat to Iraq
Sami Al Askari, Adviser to Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and Iraqi Parliament member, says water scarcity is one of the most serious problems facing the Arab region.
Iraq comes first on the list of countries that suffer from this problem for many reasons.
One of the main reasons is the policy of the riparian countries sharing with Iraq the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates, which either originate from the territories of these countries or pass through.
Al Askari talks to Gulf News about the issue:
Gulf News: The dryness of river basins water is a problem facing Iraq in the future. No matter how our oil resources grow, there is no substitute for water, which the UN safeguarded for us through protocols of good neighbourliness. But the problem becomes compounded when neighbours do not care about Iraq’s suffering in this respect. Did the parliament set a plan for dealing with this problem?
Al Askari: The problem of water scarcity is one of the serious problems facing the Arab region. Iraq comes first on the list of countries that suffer from this problem for many reasons.
Related Links
Water shortage may trigger conflicts
Iraq could be running out of water
Arab world faces a worsening water crisis
Climate change threatens region's stability
Many Arab countries face serious water shortage
One of the main reasons is the policy of the riparian countries sharing with Iraq the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates, which originate from the territories of these countries or pass through their territories.
The policy of building dams in Turkey, Syria and Iran without regard to Iraq’s interests poses a serious threat to Iraq, especially in light of Turkey’s refusal to sign binding agreements ensuring Iraq’s right to a fair share of water from the two rivers.
Iraq needs a diplomatic effort, and a clear policy in its relations with these countries to ensure a fair share of water should be the heart of any economic, security or political agreements with these countries.
The international community, through the United Nations, is required to force Iraq’s neighbouring countries to conclude agreements to regulate the distribution of water because the problem of water could in the future become one of the factors of instability in this vital region of the world.
Gulf News: What do you think about the proposals made by the Al Sadr movementg? There are four proposals for implementing the amnesty law, including a proposal for exonerating the crimes of “terrorism” with exceptions and another “loose” proposal. Is there really an agreement to decide on the amnesty law very soon?
Al Askari: The amnesty law was originally proposed by the Al Sadr bloc in the Iraqi parliament, but the substantive observations on the proposal were the reason behind the delay in its approval. It is in fact not different in its approach from the similar amnesty law passed by the former parliament.
That law led to the release of a large number of terrorists and thieves and also acquitted senior officials involved in cases of financial corruption. The idea of amnesty for criminals sends wrong and dangerous messages to terrorist groups that they can commit as many crimes as they want, and in every parliamentary session the arrested criminals would be released.
This leads to frustration in thesecurity services, which feel that it is useless to pursue terrorists as long as there are politicians ready to pass laws to acquit them. That law in its current drafting, despite some minor amendments, poses a disaster to the security situation. In addition, the law acquits forgers and looters of public money. I do not think the law will be passed during the current legislative session, unless significant amendments are made to it.
Gulf News: The law of provincial elections in 2008 and its application faced many objections from small parties. The law stipulates that every city in Iraq is a constituency, and the electoral process combines both systems of closed and open lists. In other words, each deputy is forced to choose a party list. Some say that the law failed while others say that the big parties swallowed the small parties like whales swallowing small fish. What do you say about that?
Al Askari: On the issue of elections and how to count the votes, there have always been two theories. The first speaks about the need to push for the formation of alliances or large electoral lists to put an end to divisions inside the elected bodies, such as parliament and provincial councils.
This view is adopted by major parties and parliamentary blocs, and supported by some UN experts working in Iraq. The second theory speaks about the need to make room for small parties and emerging entities and ensure that they get seats in the parliament or provincial councils.
Both theories have their supporters and justifications. However, since the major parties and parliamentary blocs dominate the legislative process in parliament, it is normal that the matter will go in the direction that promotes major blocs and deny small parties the opportunity of winning seats in the elected councils.
Gulf News: Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama Al Nujaifi said a parliamentary committee was formed to verify the procedures of the central bank and identify defects. He underlined complaints about the bank’s work, saying that the parliament was examining these complaints.
The question is: If violations are proved, does the parliament have enough power to follow up the issue of sanctions, or will it only prove the defects, and then the issue goes unresolved?
Al Askari: The law of the central bank, its performance and relationship with the executive and legislative authorities, have always been a bone of contention between politicians. The concept of the link between executive institutions with the legislative authority is one of the flaws in the current Iraqi constitution.
This flaw has led the central bank and its head acting as if they are not controlled by the Iraqi government. It explained the bank’s independence arbitrarily in a way that made the bank an accounting and controlling body acting away from the administrative procedures that prevent defects in the bank’s work.
The conflict between the legislative and executive authorities is a reflection of the political conflict between blocs. This conflict led to the fact that the central bank is working away from any control. It is an independent state within the state of Iraq.
Any attempt by the government, which is responsible for setting and implementing the financial and economic policies, was faced politically by opponents of the prime minister. These attempts were seen as an attempt to control and loot this vital institution, whose independence is stipulated in the law.
Recently, some political parties, especially the speakership of parliament, realised the wrongful conduct of the central bank and how it poses real threats to the financial situationin Iraq. Many people talked about huge financial corruption, money laundering, the financing of terrorist groups, and other charges that need investigation and follow-up.
This situation led the government and parliament to reassess the way of dealing with this vital institution. The parliament, given its legislative role, can only monitor and identify failures, but bringing the corrupt to book and combating corruption is done by executive and judicial bodies.
There is a risk that many issues will be diluted because of political interference and because active political parties in the country are involved in some financial and administrative corruption cases, which the central bank is charged with.
Gulf News: The parliamentary integrity committee announced its intention to open the cases of corruption within the ministries of Interior and Defence after the parliament’s recess. These cases have to do with the Canadian aircraft and the explosives detector (ID). Does this mean that the parties, which will be proved to be involved in corruption, will be held accountable or will they be referred to other bodies? How can punishment be guaranteed in such cases? Do political agreements play a role in hushing such cases?
Al Askari: The parliamentary integrity committee is one of the important committees in the parliament. It is tasked with following up cases of corruption in various state institutions. If it discovers certain corruption cases it refers them to the integrity commission, which is the executive authority tasked with taking legal and administrative procedures on charges of corruption levelled at state employees.
The role of the parliament, represented in the parliamentary integrity committee, is limited to the detection of corruption cases and monitoring the performance of executive authorities. Determination of penalties for violators is an exclusive task of the judiciary. Neither the parliament nor the executive authority has the power to do that task.. The executive authority is just responsible for implementing the judicial rulings once they are issued against those convicted in corruption cases.
Gulf News: What is the story of a request for the allocation of a special budget for the intelligence service from the supplementary budget of the current year? Is it possible that they have not allocated a budget to the Iraqi intelligence service at a time when we are facing a significant growth in terrorist operations in the country?
Al Askari: The supplementary budget seeks to allocate additional funds for various ministries and institutions to ensure the delivery of services and implementation of projects, which the general budget could not provide adequate funds for. These additional funds are also meant to address the needs that emerge after the ratification of the public budget by parliament.
The intelligence service has its own budget, which is approved annually as part of the general budget. The reported allocation of funds from the supplementary budget to the intelligence service comes within the same context of allocating additional funds to education or housing sectors or others.
Anyhow, the parliament refused to approve the supplementary budget as the government has to prepare the 2013 budget and submit it to the parliament in October. This new budget can address the shortage in allocations, which the supplementary budget sought to provide.
Gulf News: Some people say that political deals still obstruct the work of the seven-member accountability and justice commission, which was approved by the parliament and the presidency last month. What do you say about that?
Al Askari: Political deals or quotas, which have become the basis for the construction of various state institutions, have been and will be a factor of obstruction of the Iraqi government’s work. As a temporary constitutional body, the accountability and justice commission is not an exception. Since these institutions need to be approved by the parliament, the approval cannot be made without political compromise and through pleasing the major parliamentary blocs, which insist on the policy of quotas.
Gulf News: Back to the law of political parties, which has been excessively debated since 2007 and has not been passed yet. Some people say major political parties fear that their sources of finance would be revealed, especially as the legislation prevents the misuse of public funds, which many of the existing parties exploit to serve their own interests.
What do you think about this issue, especially asthe State of Law Coalition ruled out the endorsement of the law in the coming period, being one of the controversial laws, not to mention the fact that it has not yet been finalised by the legal committee?
Al Askari: I do not think the current parliament is able to pass vital legislation like the Law of Parties. Most political blocs are unwilling to pass this law, contrary to what they say in public and to the media. If passed, this law would restrict the movement of these blocs and parties, especially with regard to foreign finance, upon which major blocs rely, or the exploitation of ministries and state institutions in funding their political and party activities.
The endorsement of the law in a compromising format — as is the case of all-important laws — poses a risk to the ratification of a law that does harm the political situation in Iraq and consolidates a reality that does not meet the aspirations of Iraqis in establishing a real democratic system in the country.
Gulf News: To date, Iraqi citizens do not know the content of the first convention of Arbil, and I do not think they will know it. The question is why is there a blackout regarding this issue?
Al Askari: The convention in Arbil has really turned into a mystery baffling the Iraqis. It seems that the convention has terms, which the signing parties do not want to reveal either because these provisions are inconsistent with the constitution or contradictory to what some parties say to the media. I hold all signing parties responsible. It seems to me that there is a tacit agreement, imposed by the interests, that no party shall reveal the real text of terms that have been agreed upon.
Gulf News: Lastly, when will we see the oil and gas law that will save the prestige of the central government and Iraq as a country?
Al Askari: The oil and gas law is one of the most important laws that has been carried over from the previous parliament for failing to approve it, and the current parliament also finds itself unable to proceed with the approval.
The difficulty lies in understanding the provisions of the constitution and also in the contradiction between some provisions, something which provides fertile ground for difference and conflict, especially between the government of the province and the federal government.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/iraq/water-scarcity-a-top-threat-to-iraq-1.1064515

Chinese, Malaysian Firms Win Iraq Water, Sewage Contracts
Iraq signed two contracts with Ho Hup Construction Co. (HO) Bhd of Malaysia and China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd. valued at a total of 161 billion dinars ($138 million) for water and sewage projects, Jasim Mohammad Salim, a spokesman of the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, said by phone in Baghdad yesterday.
To contact the reporter on this story: Khalid Al-Ansary in Baghdad through the Dubai newsroom at kalansary@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-27/chinese-malaysian-firms-win-iraq-water-sewage-contracts.html

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC

http://www.webpagescreenshot.info/i/622720-831201273549am.png

Lol Can someone explain to me why this article brings me joy?

How can Iraq be an exception, when the Emirates is surrounded by water?

http://www.myfacewhen.net/uploads/714-epic-facepalm.jpg

http://www.myfacewhen.net/uploads/714-epic-facepalm.jpg

haha, wallah i had the same reaction...


Ali, heres a small hint.

salt ..............

God dammit some idiots..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Abu_Dhabi

Ali ya warda this was your comment:

How can Iraq be an exception, when the Emirates is surrounded by water?

The whole Middle East is surrounded by water!!...so why mention the Emirates



Also shwaya sloob sir 3indek

What i was saying is that, the Emirates is surrounded by water see picture:
http://www.wordtravels.com/images/map/United_Arab_Emirates_map.jpg



While Iraq isn't, well at least it's only a small part, which is in Basra:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Basra_location.PNG/200px-Basra_location.PNG

..Yet the article states that Iraq is an exception, why? because clearly being surrounded by saltwater IS NOT the same as having two mythical, freshwater providing rivers running through your whole country.

God dammit some idiots..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Abu_Dhabi

habibi, bas inta zmal ihna, speak properly if you want to be respected.

look up on those desalination projects, they're VERY expensive to run, due to their high energy requirement.

Desalination projects cannot replace natural freshwater sources like rivers, rainfall, lakes etc., not yet anyway.

UAE may be able to manage currently due to their oil reserves, but unless they find a cleaner alternative, it wont sustain them in the long run. so it doesn't matter if your surrounded by water, or if you have 1Km of ocean, its all the same, its the ocean for shits sake, it just costs heaps to desalinate.

also the article doesn't say they're gonna die of thirst, just that their gonna have a shortage. which will be costly to make up for, unlike iraq, which has lakes, rivers etc. and wont need to PAY for water.

..Yet the article states that Iraq is an exception, why? because clearly being surrounded by saltwater IS NOT the same as having two mythical, freshwater providing rivers running through your whole country.

They're not mythical just yet, though if the Turks choose it to be....

They're not mythical just yet, though if the Turks choose it to be....

I think I'll go with mythical, unless you're rolling with Tigris being a result of a certain perverted god named Enki lol


and thanks for explaining Haider, as I'm too :yawn:

habibi, bas inta zmal ihna, speak properly if you want to be respected.

look up on those desalination projects, they're VERY expensive to run, due to their high energy requirement.

Desalination projects cannot replace natural freshwater sources like rivers, rainfall, lakes etc., not yet anyway.

UAE may be able to manage currently due to their oil reserves, but unless they find a cleaner alternative, it wont sustain them in the long run. so it doesn't matter if your surrounded by water, or if you have 1Km of ocean, its all the same, its the ocean for shits sake, it just costs heaps to desalinate.

also the article doesn't say they're gonna die of thirst, just that their gonna have a shortage. which will be costly to make up for, unlike iraq, which has lakes, rivers etc. and wont need to PAY for water.

How can i respect a retard when he doesn't know anything about politics or can answer me properly? Dude Iraq wouldn't be any exception.

Hint: dams, in Syria, Turkey and Iran....

Iraq begins construction on six irrigation dams
30 aug 2012

Six irrigation dams will be built in five Iraqi cities, the Ministry of Water Resources announced Thursday (August 30th).

"The new dams are located in Kirkuk, Anbar, Diyala, Wasit and Maysan, which will feature two dams," Water Resources Minister Muhannad al-Saadi told Al-Shorfa.

"Ministry engineers and private companies that specialise in building dams are currently supervising the work," he said.

The intent behind the construction of these dams is to "benefit from storing rain and flood water, regulate ideal water distribution according to each province's needs for agriculture and human consumption, develop animal wealth and tourist investment, improve the environment and feed groundwater levels," he said.

Al-Saadi said it will cost an estimated 11 billion Iraqi dinars ($9.4 million) to build each dam.

How can i respect a retard when he doesn't know anything about politics or can answer me properly? Dude Iraq wouldn't be any exception.

Hint: dams, in Syria, Turkey and Iran....

Haha, i dont usually answer back to stupid comments, but your asking for it, so here you go.

Politics, seriously... lol. also; Turkey and Iran are Arabs now, are they.

Syria with a populatrion of 22 million, shares only one of our rivers, which means only about 20% of their country is arable land = much less ground water. also, heres an interesting fact, they're NOT EVEN part of the Arabian peninsula, they're part of southwestern Asia.

also, the face palms you got weren't because of the article, it was because of this

How can Iraq be an exception, when the Emirates is surrounded by water?

you were talking about SEA WATER as if it was a viable replacement for fresh water which is incorrect, due to the economic aspect of it all.

See:

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/6637/waterresourcesavailabil.jpg


Now stop being such a child and move on, you said something stupid and got called up on it, dont tell me this is the first time this has ever happened to you. No need to disrespect others here for pointing it out. insults will get you no where.

You guys know that in the mountain region they do recieve precipitation between 700mm-3,000mm a year, right?

You guys know that in the mountain region they do recieve precipitation between 700mm-3,000mm a year, right?

actually they've had droughts now for several years AFAIK and thus wheat production in ninawa is down massively. also most of the mountains are not in Iraq proper but kurdistan, a separate country entirely.

actually they've had droughts now for several years AFAIK and thus wheat production in ninawa is down massively. also most of the mountains are not in Iraq proper but kurdistan, a separate country entirely.

Kurdish country is a illusional, not even a country... it is a autonomous region of northern Iraq who trying to have a state that it isnt going to happened, or go back to Iran.

Kurdish country is a illusional, not even a country... it is a autonomous region of northern Iraq who trying to have a state that it isnt going to happened, or go back to Iran.

Actually I think It will happen, it would of happened by now if they have had the resources to make the money from to manage their country, atm they are surviving of money from the central government. Anyway offtopic, but it is the right moral thing to give what they people want done you think?

Iraq is to build six new irrigation dams at a cost of $56.4m.

The country's minister for Water resources, Muhannad al-Saadi, told Al Shorfa that each of the dams will cost around 11bn Iraqi Dinars, or $9.4m.

"The new dams are located in Kirkuk, Anbar, Diyala, Wasit and Maysan, which will feature two dams," he said.

"Ministry engineers and private companies that specialise in building dams are currently supervising the work."

The minister said that the aim of the project would be to "benefit from storing rain and flood water, regulate ideal water distribution according to each province's needs for agriculture and human consumption, develop animal wealth and tourist investment, improve the environment and feed groundwater levels".

Actually I think It will happen, it would of happened by now if they have had the resources to make the money from to manage their country, atm they are surviving of money from the central government. Anyway offtopic, but it is the right moral thing to give what they people want done you think?

That was all of Assyria, you know that right :ohno:

That was all of Assyria, you know that right :ohno:

I read a lot on near eastern/mesopotamian history and for you to say that makes no sense at all! if what you say is true, then you should have parts of egypt and the whole middle east. because at one point during the assyrian empire the whole ME was theres. you wont find a greek complaining about now having all there land. capital of assyrian empire used to be nenivah, and as far as we are conserned thats not part of KRG. and the kurds, arabs, and assyrians of iraq are all very closeley related anyway, we mixed for thousands of years, it upsets me of the divisions we have. we are all iraqi at the end of the day. but obviously many kurds will dissagree lool.

I read a lot on near eastern/mesopotamian history and for you to say that makes no sense at all! if what you say is true, then you should have parts of egypt and the whole middle east. because at one point during the assyrian empire the whole ME was theres. you wont find a greek complaining about now having all there land. capital of assyrian empire used to be nenivah, and as far as we are conserned thats not part of KRG. and the kurds, arabs, and assyrians of iraq are all very closeley related anyway, we mixed for thousands of years, it upsets me of the divisions we have. we are all iraqi at the end of the day. but obviously many kurds will dissagree lool.


You're not getting the point to what I was saying, and why would the Greeks complain? They have all their country that is not occupied by the Turks or anybody else, like northern Iraq as Assyrian. Not the whole middle east like Egypt or anything like that... There are many places in northern Iraq where Assyrians was the majority, it is not anymore because there is a reason for what had happened long ago. For example, places like Duhok which the kurds change the name from original name Nuhadra. There were also many villages that were majority of Assyrians, all taken by the Kurds. I know that most Kurds wont agree but I have to say half of the Kurdish population is Assyrian or at least Assyrian mix because they Kurdified them, same as they Kurdified the Yezidis, which some dont claimed to be Kurds.

There is a book out there that did mentioned the Kurds and how Assyrians were living from late and mid 1800s that was recorded by missionaries.:ohno: Nothing but barbarics from Zagros mountain in Iran that taken over or from somewhere in Turkey. ugh

You're not getting the point to what I was saying, and why would the Greeks complain? They have all their country that is not occupied by the Turks or anybody else, like northern Iraq as Assyrian. Not the whole middle east like Egypt or anything like that... There are many places in northern Iraq where Assyrians was the majority, it is not anymore because there is a reason for what had happened long ago. For example, places like Duhok which the kurds change the name from original name Nuhadra. There were also many villages that were majority of Assyrians, all taken by the Kurds. I know that most Kurds wont agree but I have to say half of the Kurdish population is Assyrian or at least Assyrian mix because they Kurdified them, same as they Kurdified the Yezidis, which some dont claimed to be Kurds.

There is a book out there that did mentioned the Kurds and how Assyrians were living from late and mid 1800s that was recorded by missionaries.:ohno: Nothing but barbarics from Zagros mountain in Iran that taken over or from somewhere in Turkey. ugh

hmm yeh, iv read on the assyrian genocide. and i agree that there are assyrian majority areas.anyway, the situation is real difficuilt to explain. kurds are more of a nation of people, there are of 40 plus million of them, i do believe that many of them are the original inhabitants of the zagros mountains. but also words such as kurds, assyrians, arabs have no real meaning to me in iraq. because we are all closeley related. just because some is called a kurd today, doesnt mean his ancesters where gutians or hurrians from zagros/anatolia, just because someone is called assyrian today, doesnt mean his ancestral link have anything to do with the first assyrians in nenivah (remember it was an empire, they brang people from all of the ME to increase their power force). and the same concept goes with iraqi arabs.

also your argument about kurdification is nothin new, how about islamification of the christian population of iraq when islam entered, many assyrians/babylonians/and many mesopotamians converted and hence arabisation occured also. and the people who.never converted are the remaining christians, jews, mandeans etc of iraq, who resisted islamification and arabization, and hence they dont consider themselves arabs. just like how aramaic was the main language of iraq before islam. anyway this is a long off topic subject. to conclude, i personaly wish for iraq to come under one unified state with love x.

hmm yeh, iv read on the assyrian genocide. and i agree that there are assyrian majority areas.anyway, the situation is real difficuilt to explain. kurds are more of a nation of people, there are of 40 plus million of them, i do believe that many of them are the original inhabitants of the zagros mountains. but also words such as kurds, assyrians, arabs have no real meaning to me in iraq. because we are all closeley related. just because some is called a kurd today, doesnt mean his ancesters where gutians or hurrians from zagros/anatolia, just because someone is called assyrian today, doesnt mean his ancestral link have anything to do with the first assyrians in nenivah (remember it was an empire, they brang people from all of the ME to increase their power force). and the same concept goes with iraqi arabs.

also your argument about kurdification is nothin new, how about islamification of the christian population of iraq when islam entered, many assyrians/babylonians/and many mesopotamians converted and hence arabisation occured also. and the people who.never converted are the remaining christians, jews, mandeans etc of iraq, who resisted islamification and arabization, and hence they dont consider themselves arabs. just like how aramaic was the main language of iraq before islam. anyway this is a long off topic subject. to conclude, i personaly wish for iraq to come under one unified state with love x.


Yeah that is true about what you said about everyone did converted to Islam and start calling themselves Arabs and they all used to speak Aramaic. Although, Assyrian Aramaic have some Akkadian words and influences.. Many Assyrian would like a autonomy like the Kurds, just to perserved the culture, language, protections and so on. It is different when you have Kurdish politician that is nothing but drama queen that want to leave off of Iraq.

I hope Assyrians will have their own Assyrian administration/autonomous. If nothing going in action, Assyrian will be almost gone in Iraq which been happening for years because they seemed lost their rights and living under threats, as they may continue to migrate to Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Europe, Australia, US, Canada... over time they will become arabnized, kurdified, and westernize as first and second generation because none no longer live the homeland. Sadly, I'm a first generation and I dont speak nor know too much Assyrian and hardly ever speak it at all. It is a sad situation.

Yeah that is true about what you said about everyone did converted to Islam and start calling themselves Arabs and they all used to speak Aramaic. Although, Assyrian Aramaic have some Akkadian words and influences.. Many Assyrian would like a autonomy like the Kurds, just to perserved the culture, language, protections and so on. It is different when you have Kurdish politician that is nothing but drama queen that want to leave off of Iraq.

I hope Assyrians will have their own Assyrian administration/autonomous. If nothing going in action, Assyrian will be almost gone in Iraq which been happening for years because they seemed lost their rights and living under threats, as they may continue to migrate to Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Europe, Australia, US, Canada... over time they will become arabnized, kurdified, and westernize as first and second generation because none no longer live the homeland. Sadly, I'm a first generation and I dont speak nor know too much Assyrian and hardly ever speak it at all. It is a sad situation.

I dont agree with autonomy, but I agree 100% with preservation of the people. Recently Baghdad government is undergoing full reconstruction of 5 churches in Baghdad :)
Your right about the language. Iraqi Arabic is linguistically called Mesopotamian arabic, because it has many loan words from Aramaic and Akkadian, as before arabic, Aramaic was spoken. I hope all groups In Iraq will be protected and preserved. And water is a beautiful thing (staying on topic lool)

Saad: Committee to be formed to investigate stoppage of water desalination station in Faw
aghdad (IraqiNews.com) -MP, Suzan al-Saad, stated that a committee, comprising some MPs of Basra province, will be formed to investigate the stoppage of the water desalination station in Faw district of Basra province after inaugurating it by the Premier, Nouri al-Maliki, before four hours only.

In a press statement received by IraqiNews.com on Thursday, she said “The station, which was in cost 13 Million USD and was performed in 2010, has stopped working after inauguration it in four hours only and did not work till this time without revealing the reasons.”

“The station was performed by one of the local companies is considered as the second station for water desalination in Iraq,” she added, noting that “The first station was inaugurated few days ago in Sihan district of Abu al-Khasib area 20 KM south of Basra.”

“The committee will start its performance to reveal the reasons behind the suspicious stoppage of the station because it is impossible to stop after four hours only after operating it,” she concluded.
http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/saad-committee-to-be-formed-to-investigate-stoppage-of-water-desalination-station-in-faw/

Why doesn't Iraq use this technique to solve drought...it is commonly used by China and other countries.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/3370_350544518356304_929607388_n.jpg

cloud seeding has generally failed ..

I read alot about this technology few years ago.. china uses it .. but if you do a cost-benefit analysis.. it turns out that it certainly isn't appealing

please note that could seeding doesnt work in every climate.. and the results are highly variable

dont be fooled that you can turn a desert into a rainforest using this technology..

oh I see, thanks.

MoWR digs 130 water wells across Iraq
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -The technical and engineering staff within the Ministry of Water Resources confirmed digging 130 water wells during last June in addition to rehabilitating some other wells.

A statement by the Ministry cited “The digging works of water wells covered 12 provinces across Iraq during last June where 130 other wells have been drilled in addition to rehabilitating and maintaining a number of other water wells.”
http://www.iraqinews.com/features/mowr-digs-1-0-water-wells-across-iraq/

a new water treatment project in samawa is now under construction, taking raw water from shatt al rumaitha and processing 10,000 cubic meters of water an hour. its being completed by a german company and will take two and a half years to complete.

WR Ministry starts 2nd stage of performing Ali al-Gharbi Dam in Maysan
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -The Ministry of Water Resources announced the start of the second stage of constructing Ali al-Gharbi Dam in Maysan province.

A statement by the Ministry received by IraqiNews.com on Monday cited “The technical and engineering staff of the General Rafidain Company for constructing dams within the WR Ministry started the second stage of Ali- al-Gharbi Dam in Maysan province which is included with the projects of the Regions Development.”

“The performance includes installing Sheet Piles in the right side of Tigress River in length of 660 Ms and linking those piles to concrete barriers by Steel Rod,” the statement concluded.

Iraq Selects Passavant-Roediger for Wastewater Plant in Kerbala
Iraq selected Passavant-Roediger GmbH, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC, to design and build a sludge treatment system for a wastewater plant in Kerbala.
The value of the contract using sludge digestion technology including energy recovery from the organic matter it treats and biogas generation is 86 million dirham ($23.4 million), the company said in a statement.
Twelve sludge digesters will be installed as part of the contract for a project the company expects to be ready next year

Baghdad Mayoralty forms Operations Cell to follow up water filtering plans


aghdad (IraqiNews.com) -Baghdad Acting Mayor, Abdul Hussein al-Murshidi, instructed to form an operations cell to follow up the procedures of operating the water filtering plans as preventive measures to prevent the spread of cholera epidemic in Baghdad.

A statement by Baghdad Mayoralty mentioned that “Forming the operations cell comes to supervise the water projects and water compounds to make sure of their validity to the human consumption especially after registering some illnesses of cholera in some Iraqi provinces.”

New water compounds to be built in Babel
Babylon (IraqiNews.com) -The Sadda Municipal Council within Babel government announced the construction of two compounds for water in the area of Al-Mihenawih within the budget for the development of the regions.

The President of the Council Engineer, Haidar Muhsin, told Iraqi News (IraqiNews.com) that “The first compound has the capacity of [250] cubic meters per hour and the other one has a capacity of [200] cubic meters per hour,” noting that “The two compounds are out of six projects have been forwarded to the implementation recently in the area of Al-Mihenawih and its villages. “

“The projects will be implemented in accordance with the approved standard specifications for water compounds,” Mohsin added.

What happened to that massive water project in Baghdad that was under construction... was meant to provide clean water for all of Baghdad up until 2020. I just remembered it. We haven't had updates in ages!!!

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9532/figure29.png
© 2012 OECD/IEA

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8031/figure319.png
© 2012 OECD/IEA

الموارد المائية تعلن توفر المياه لخمسة ملايين دونم خلال الموسم الزراعي الحالي

alfayhaa.tv

اعلنت وزارة الموارد المائية أنها ستوفر المياه لخمسة ملايين دونم خلال الموسم الزراعي الحالي .
وقالت مديرية المشاريع إن الوزارة ستوفر المياه لخمسة ملايين دونم خلال الموسم الزراعي الحالي ، وأوضحت أن الوزارة تنسق مع وزارة الزراعة على توفير الحصص المائية للأراضي الزراعية التي تبتعد عن حوضي نهري دجلة والفرات من خلال حفر الابار المائية ، من جانبها وقعت الهيئة العامة للسدود والخزانات عقد تنفيذ مشروع تأهيل وصيانة القناة الناقلة للمياه الى نهري دجلة والفرات من مقدم سدة سامراء الى ناظم التقسيم ضمن مشاريع المبادرة الزراعية بكلفة تسعة مليارات دينار وبمدة تنفيذه تبلغ ستة أشهر.

hriram EPC Limited (SEPC) consortium has bagged order worth $230 million for the supply and laying of basic sanitary systems in Basra, Iraq in a joint venture with the Mokul Group of Companies, according to statement released by the company. Shriram EPC, which is part of Shriram Group, is an integrated design, engineering, procurement, construction and project management services for power plants, renewable energy projects, process and metallurgical plants and municipal service sector projects.

The scope of work entails engineering, supply and installation of a primary sanitary sewer system, storm sewer system and trunk sewer system with connected pumping stations and road works.

Shriram EPC will oversee the laying of approximately 240 kms of Sewer Pipe Line, 160 kms of Storm Pipe Line and 8 KM of Trunk Sewer Pipe Line along with road works in the area. The project is scheduled for completion in 3 years.
Commenting on the contract, T. Shivaraman, Managing Director & CEO of Shriram EPC Limited, said that this is our first order in the Middle East and adds to our portfolio of international projects. It is a sizeable order for our municipal services vertical and will result in sustained revenues over the 3 year execution period. This is also one of the first major public infrastructure projects in Southern Iraq which aims to improve basic infrastructure in the country. Successful execution of this contract would open up new opportunities for us in Iraq.

Over the past several months, SEPC has witnessed good momentum in its order book, particularly in municipal services and this order adds to our order backlog of Rs 2,923 crore as at the end of September 2012, as per the statement.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/shriram-epc-bags-230-mn-order-in-iraq/198480/on

Water project in Abu Ghraib meets needs of 700 thousand Iraqis
07-12-2012 - 12:51

Business
The Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works announced the inauguration of a water project in Abu Ghraib District capable of meeting the needs of 700 thousand Iraqis, stressing that the water crisis is gradually receding in most of the country’s provinces.

Abu Ghraib’s towns and villages will finally quench their thirst with potable water, after the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works announced on Thursday the inauguration of a water project in the District, with a production capacity that can cover the needs of 700 thousand persons.

“The project’s capacity is 10 thousand cube meters and supplies water to Abu Ghraib’s District as well as neighboring towns and villages. The project cost 175 billion Iraqi Dinars alongside an additional amount of 25 billion Dinars”, said an official in the Municipality of Abu Ghraib, Farhan Mohammad Amine.

“We have collected 25 water containers from the old ones. This project will keep on supplying the region with enough water even when the population increases 25 years from now i.e. about 700 thousand persons”, noted the Minister of Municipalities, Adel Muhawder.

The Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works assures that the water crisis is gradually receding in most of the country’s provinces and it will be completely solved in the few years to come.

“The scarcity of water reached 23% after the implementation of a plan in 2011 and 2012 and reached 10% when the 2012 plan was concluded. We hope that we will reach 0% by 2013”, added the Minister of Municipalities, Adel Muhawder.

The Ministry plans to finish 95 strategic projects in the year 2013 based on a budget of one trillion 750 million Iraqi Dinars. The Minister of Municipalities clearly expressed his fear that some project may not enter into service due to the suspension of many among them that were transferred to non-specialized companies.

Iraq on Friday (December 7th) completed a new project -- valued at more than 170 billion Iraqi dinars ($146 million) -- to supply drinking water to much of Baghdad's population, the Iraqi government said.Saleh al-Mutlaq, deputy prime minister for service affairs, told Al-Shorfa that the "ministry of municipalities opened the Abu Ghraib Great Water Project on Thursday evening. It will provide drinking water to houses through modern networks, and will cover about 50% of capital's residents.""The project is designed to serve the area for 25 years, and will be expanded later in consideration of population growth and urban expansion," he said.A similar project, carried out by Iraqi companies assisted by German and Turkish companies, is now under way in al-Rasafa in Baghdad, "and we hope to complete it by mid-2013", he said.

Copyright 2012 Al-Shorfa
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9 Water projects accomplished in Diwaniya

Added by Baghdad Iraq on December 11, 2012.
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Diwaniya (IraqiNews.com) -The manager of the Contracts Department in Diwaniya Governorate, Najah Attiya, announced accomplishing nine projects in Water sector in Diwaniya province within the plan of regions’ development plan of 2012.

Speaking to IraqiNews.com, Engineer Attiya said “These projects cost IQD 2,919 billion.”

“The nine projects included installation and extending of water nets in addition to implementing water purification plants for villages and districts of the province,” Attiya concluded.



Read more: http://www.iraqinews.com/features/water-projects-accomplished-in-diwaniya/#ixzz2Emtwtwy9
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Iraq invites NESPAK for East Gharaf Project

Staff Report

LAHORE: Ministry of Water Resources of Government of Iraq has extended a direct invitation to National Engineering Services Pakistan (Pvt) Limited (NESPAK) on Thursday to participate in the process of taking up East Gharaf Project.

The project aims at strengthening the war torn economy of Iraq by providing sustainable irrigation and drainage facilities to about 390,000 acres of land in Nassiriya and Kut Governorates, the area between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. NESPAK retains its registration with Ministry of Water Resources and was already contemplating to enter into Iraq before this direct invitation was received.

Another war torn country, Republic of Yemen has already seen the footprints of NESPAK where it is already engaged in a Fisheries and Grain Silos Project.

Recently, the NESPAK has also been awarded three multi-purpose dam projects and two irrigation/agriculture in Afghanistan.

The NESPAK had worked on a number of Irrigation Projects in early 1980’s, such as Euphrates East Drains Project, Saddam Dam Project, North Jazira Irrigation and Drainage Project, Rumaitha Irrigation and Drainage Project.

Emergency plan tackles Tigris River floodwater
ECONOMY | 2013-02-11
The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources embarked on an emergency plan to utilise water from the Tigris River, whose levels are expected to run high this spring due to increased rainfall and snow melting from the northern mountaintops.

"The ministry is now working on absorbing any potential rise in Tigris water levels, and taking control of those levels by opening up lakes and reservoirs," said Water Resources Minister Muhannad al-Saadi.

Surplus water will be directed towards secondary rivers and streams in a "smooth, controlled way", he added.

The most recent Tigris River flooding was the result of heavy rainfall in the Upper and Lower al-Zab regions in northern Iraq, which ran down towards the Tigris, he told Mawtani.

This rush of water forced officials to increase the water release rate at the Samarra dam from 500 cubic metres to 2,500 cubic metres per second, he said, and to open 36 gates at Lake al-Tharthar to allow surplus waters to pass through.

"Also, we opened the reservoirs and irrigation regulators, located in southern provinces, that receive water from the Tigris, to siphon off increases in the incoming water volume and send them on to the agricultural projects to utilise for crop irrigation," al-Saadi said.

This helped mitigate danger from flooding and restored water levels in the Tigris to normal, he said.

The ministry aims to use surplus water anticipated in the next three months to meet the country's needs for drinking water and for irrigation, al-Saadi said.

It also hopes to release additional water during the summer months to help revive Iraq's marshes, and to reduce saline levels in the Shatt al-Arab river that stem from the rush of Arab Gulf waters into the waterway.

The ministry recently built a number of small deflection dams to provide water to neighbouring regions, al-Saadi said. Two are located in the Anbar desert, and four along the eastern borders of Wasit and Maysan provinces.

'UNPRECEDENTED' RAINFALL
Heavy rains have fallen across most of the country since the start of the rainy season, with some areas seeing an unprecedented 150% increase in rainfall over the last four months, said Ministry of Water Resources spokesman Ali Hashem.

Rainfall like this has not been recorded for more than two decades, he told Mawtani, adding that these quantities indicate water will be "good and abundant" this season and the next, as compared to previous years.

"The ministry has prepared all its dams, reservoirs and basins to absorb and store all surplus waters and utilise it to generate electric power, provide drinking water, irrigate agricultural land and improve the ecology of the marshes," Hashem said.

"Any increase in the surplus will have a major impact on our efforts to overcome various problems and challenges resulting from water shortages," he said, adding that the current surplus will help improve the quality of surface water, bolster underground water levels and increase the space covered by greenery.

This year, rainfall averages returned to normal after a cycle of drought that lasted several years, said Mohammad Ghazi Mohammad, head of the Anti-Desertification Commission.

The drought "contributed, to a large degree, to a drop in water levels and wells, and a decline in green areas", he said.

"The commission benefitted a lot from the heavy rainfall this year, which bolstered its efforts to curb the crawl of sand dunes and reduce dust storms," he told Mawtani.

The commission has begun sowing pasture seeds in the rain belts, Mohammad said, as plants help secure the soil and prevent wind-driven erosion that causes desertification, as well as provide grazing land for cattle.

"The rainfall also helped in raising the water levels in our projects, which store rainwater in desert areas, particularly in the western plateaus of Iraq," he said. "We hope in this season to collect the most water and benefit from it in desert reconstruction projects."

There should be light rains in the upcoming days for Iraq..

I hope next year we get just as much rains.

wonderful news. although the cities suffered, iraq badly needed these rains.

Tigris and Euphrates drying up

The visualization shows variations in total water storage from normal, in millimeters, in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, as measured by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, from January 2003 through December 2009. Reds represent drier conditions, while blues represent wetter conditions. The effects of the seasons are evident, as is the major drought that hit the region in 2007. The majority of the water lost was due to reductions in groundwater caused by human activities. By periodically measuring gravity regionally, GRACE tells scientists how much water storage changes over time.

YQ7F6PxWOts

More here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2278040/Nasa-warn-freshwater-shortages-Middle-East-study-shows-diminished-reserves.html


river basins have lost an estimated 117 million acre feet, or 144 cubic kilometers, of fresh water. The news release is quick to point out that this is almost the amount of water in the Dead Sea. According to the study, roughly 60 percent of the water is due to the pumping of groundwater from underground reservoirs, which scientists believe is unsustainable

Thanks to Turkey and Iran

sorry for bringing religion into it...

MUSLIM POINT OF VIEW QUESTION:

isn't the drying up of the tigris or euphrates in Iraq prophecised in the Quran? they're gonna find gold under there or something...

i don't think it's in the quran. it's based on a 7adith AFAIK

oh right...thank you big D

So people want to argue with me that Iraq was always a true desert. Like I said Iraq long ago had more rain... Keep planting trees the rain will come the more the ground is covered in green. It is good for the environment and the world.

It is true that Iraq was once home to a wetter climate but planting trees and grasses will not bring it back. Re-establishing the forest and prairies will help with the formation of fertile soils, reduce erosion, and allow more infiltration into ground but increased precipitation is not likely. However, these things are still incredibly beneficial and critical.

Here is my slightly educated opinion:
The climate is changing and the outlook for Iraq is not promising. Upstream users (Turkey, Syria, and Iran) will also face their own water shortages which will result in decreasing volumes of water available for irrigation and even less for restoring the marshes. Unless there is some sort of official, binding water sharing pact (which is unlikely), things will likely get messy. Updating the agriculture sector should be more of a priority, with funds being made available for farmers to receive equipment and training to move away from flood irrigation. Aside from conserving a lot of water, this will reduce water logging and salinity in the soil resulting in more production.

Easier said than done but I am sure Iraq can do it as it can appreciate the true value of water.

NnCm1g1SpIY#t

Metito, a leader in intelligent water management solutions, has won a $6.8 million deal for a water treatment plant in Iraq.

The company has signed an agreement with F&B Investment for the design, build, selection and supply of all mechanical and electrical equipment for the wastewater treatment plant in south of Kufa, Iraq.

The project, initiated by Najaf Governorate, will serve the sewer and storm water treatment needs for the increasing population in the area and is designed to accommodate a capacity of 50,000 cu m/day, said a statement.

The project will utilise Turbo4bio, a new technology that guarantees a high energy-efficient wastewater treatment process with a small footprint. Turbo4bio (T4b) stands for 'Turbo-Reactor for intense Biofilm production' and it is suitable for treatment of municipal and low to medium load industrial wastewater, from which it produces a very high quality effluent with very low sludge production, close to zero. The unique design features of the system provide the self-cleaning capability of the T4b-Turbo Reactor against any possible clogging, making it almost maintenance-free, it said.

“The Iraqi government strives to improve the infrastructure across the country,” said Moustafa Hasan, general manager Metito Iraq, Jordan & Syria. “The water and wastewater industry is growing rapidly and steadily in Iraq, reflecting the needs of the expanding urban areas and the increasing population. This is done without any compromise to the quality of deliverables required by the managing bodies, and Metito is therefore honoured to be partnering with F&B Investment in playing a role in the sustainable development of such an important and strategic country”, he added. – TradeArabia News Service

The Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works is preparing to begin work on the "Grand Basra Water" project, the largest of its kind in Iraq, officials said.

Work is slated to begin in earnest in the second half of 2013.

"Our ministry took on the task of meeting Basra residents' need for drinking water by executing several projects that purify and desalinate water," said Khaled Jumaa Ali, director of the Basra Water Directorate. "One of the most remarkable and the biggest such project in Iraq is the 'Grand Basra Water' project."

The project will cost about $700 million, he said. The Iraqi government will finance 42% and the remainder will be covered under an easy-term loan the Japanese government has pledged Iraq.

PREPARING A HUGE NETWORK
The project will involve preparing a water distribution network; building a major pipeline to carry water to all parts of the province; and constructing a strategic storage tank with a capacity of 50,000 cubic metres, along with a pipeline to carry water to it.

In addition, all damaged lines and networks will be rehabilitated and repaired; two large water treatment units will be built, each with a capacity to treat 16,000 cubic metres of water per hour; and a desalination station will be constructed, with a capacity to process 10,000 cubic metres of water per hour, he said.

"The overall capacity of the project will come to 666,000 cubic metres a day, an amount sufficient to meet the water needs of Basra residents," he said.

Japanese water company NGS completed studies on the project, drafted its designs and prepared bills of quantities for the items and lists of materials needed, Ali said.

NGS will supervise each phase of the project, which is being carried out by other Japanese firms, and will train technical and engineering staff from the Basra Water Directorate, he said.

"Actual project work and implementation will begin next October at the latest, and will be completely finished and operational by the end of 2016," Ali said.

MEETING DRINKING WATER NEEDS
Once the project is complete, it will "meet about 80% of the Basra population's need for drinking water, and will provide a real solution to the problem of water salinity, which the people have suffered from for long", said Ghanem al-Maliki, a member of the Basra provincial council.

"The local Basra government will try, as part of its short-term plans, and before the project is completed, to build several water treatment and desalination stations to provide drinking water, in particular to the southern parts of Basra," he said.

Jawad al-Bazouny, an Iraqi MP from Basra province, said "for many decades, the salinity of water in Basra was a chronic problem for residents."

"As Arab Gulf waters crept into Shatt al-Arab, and with water quality declining considerably in recent years due to decreasing water levels from the Tigris and Euphrates, residents' hardship increased tremendously," he said.

"We hope the government will hasten to execute and complete the Basra water project, and go on to build more treatment and desalination plants in Basra to help eliminate that problem completely," al-Bazouny said.

Iraq gears up for 'Grand Basra Water' project

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A worker stands at a control panel in the Sharq Dijlah Water Treatment Plant in Baghdad. The Iraqi government is preparing to start work on a massive drinking water project for the Basra province. [David Furst/AFP]

2013-03-15 By Khalid al-Taie in Basra

The Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works is preparing to begin work on the "Grand Basra Water" project, the largest of its kind in Iraq, officials said.

Work is slated to begin in earnest in the second half of 2013.

"Our ministry took on the task of meeting Basra residents' need for drinking water by executing several projects that purify and desalinate water," said Khaled Jumaa Ali, director of the Basra Water Directorate. "One of the most remarkable and the biggest such project in Iraq is the 'Grand Basra Water' project."

The project will cost about $700 million, he said. The Iraqi government will finance 42% and the remainder will be covered under an easy-term loan the Japanese government has pledged Iraq.

PREPARING A HUGE NETWORK
The project will involve preparing a water distribution network; building a major pipeline to carry water to all parts of the province; and constructing a strategic storage tank with a capacity of 50,000 cubic metres, along with a pipeline to carry water to it.

In addition, all damaged lines and networks will be rehabilitated and repaired; two large water treatment units will be built, each with a capacity to treat 16,000 cubic metres of water per hour; and a desalination station will be constructed, with a capacity to process 10,000 cubic metres of water per hour, he said.

"The overall capacity of the project will come to 666,000 cubic metres a day, an amount sufficient to meet the water needs of Basra residents," he said.

Japanese water company NGS completed studies on the project, drafted its designs and prepared bills of quantities for the items and lists of materials needed, Ali said.

NGS will supervise each phase of the project, which is being carried out by other Japanese firms, and will train technical and engineering staff from the Basra Water Directorate, he said.

"Actual project work and implementation will begin next October at the latest, and will be completely finished and operational by the end of 2016," Ali said.

MEETING DRINKING WATER NEEDS
Once the project is complete, it will "meet about 80% of the Basra population's need for drinking water, and will provide a real solution to the problem of water salinity, which the people have suffered from for long", said Ghanem al-Maliki, a member of the Basra provincial council.

"The local Basra government will try, as part of its short-term plans, and before the project is completed, to build several water treatment and desalination stations to provide drinking water, in particular to the southern parts of Basra," he said.

Jawad al-Bazouny, an Iraqi MP from Basra province, said "for many decades, the salinity of water in Basra was a chronic problem for residents."

"As Arab Gulf waters crept into Shatt al-Arab, and with water quality declining considerably in recent years due to decreasing water levels from the Tigris and Euphrates, residents' hardship increased tremendously," he said.

"We hope the government will hasten to execute and complete the Basra water project, and go on to build more treatment and desalination plants in Basra to help eliminate that problem completely," al-Bazouny said.

Iraq: Technician training keeps water flowing in rural areas
09-04-2013 Feature

Clean water is hard to come by in the Iraqi countryside. Drought, falling water levels in the Tigris and the Euphrates, low water tables, overuse of water and poor maintenance of water systems are all contributing to shortages. To make matters worse, water technicians often lack the necessary skills, leading to supply failures. In response, the ICRC has trained 285 water technicians in southern Iraq since 2011.

Abu Aissa is a small village on the banks of the Euphrates, 15 kilometres from Najaf in the south of Iraq. Its 2,000 inhabitants grow grapes and fruit, but more and more are abandoning agriculture.

The village used to suffer from frequent water cuts, especially in summer. Mohamed Muhssen Jabr was born here. Now middle-aged, he had to carry water from the river three or four times a day until recently. “All our daily activities were difficult; taking a shower, washing clothes, cleaning the house, everything!”

Hussein, a teenager, also remembers carrying water from the river. “We only used river water to wash dishes and clothes. We never drank it or cooked with it,” he explains. Families in Abu Aissa do not trust tap water for drinking. They buy filtered water from shops, where they have to pay 500 dinars (50 US cents) for 20 litres.

Abu Aissa gets its water from the Euphrates, and failures in the water systems were leading to frequent cuts. Hassen Abdel-Amir operates the water treatment unit in Abu Aissa that pumps water from the river and treats it before distributing it to the village network. “It sometimes took days to make a repair and get the water flowing again,” he explains. “Every time a piece of equipment failed, we had to call the maintenance team, who would take it to Najaf for repair.”

The shortage of skilled technical staff is having a direct effect on the performance of Iraq’s water infrastructure. The problem started in the early eighties during the war with Iran, when the majority of trained staff in the water directorates had to join the armed forces. Some stayed in the forces for up to ten years. Many were killed, others retired at the end of the war.

After 2003, the authorities started to build new water facilities to meet the demand, providing 400 new facilities in southern Iraq between 2003 and 2011. But there were too few skilled staff to run them properly.

Since 2009, the ICRC has built or repaired 30 water treatment units in southern Iraq. But again, we soon realized that lack of operator training was causing technical and maintenance problems at some locations.

“The staff operating the machines need a number of basic skills if they are to run the water facilities properly, maintain water quality and avoid cuts in supply,” explains Imad Chiri, the ICRC engineer in charge of water projects in southern Iraq. “They need to be able to operate the mechanical dosing system that adds aluminium sulphate and chlorine to the water pumped in from water sources, and they need to be able to solve the most common mechanical and electrical problems without an engineer’s assistance.” Operators in the southern rural areas were lacking such skills, in particular with regards to dosing and electrical failures. They also lacked essential knowledge of maintenance procedures and safety precautions.

Since 2011, the ICRC has been working with the water directorates in southern Iraq to run training programmes for technicians in Najaf, Babil, Karbala, Basra, Muthanna, Thi Qar and Missan. The courses were given by Basra Technical College, Najaf Technical Institute, the University of Karbala and the University of Babylon. They involved training 285 operators of water treatment units in rural and remote areas in welding, maintenance and electrical skills

Abdul-Kadhim al-Yasiri is Dean of the Technical Institute in Najaf. Speaking after last September’s ten-day course in Najaf he explained: "The ICRC’s training has really made a difference, because now a technician can fix a broken water pump or a chlorine dosing system without having to wait for an engineer.”

During the course, 15 technicians learned how to repair pumps, make electrical repairs and ensure that the dosing of chemicals is correct. The operators also received health and safety training. According to Ali Hussein Darweesh, a supervising engineer of water projects in Abbasiyah area, “Since the course, operators no longer need advice for every single problem. They can organize their daily work better, and that has given people a more reliable supply of clean water.”

Back in Abu Aissa, things are easier now for Mohamed Muhssen Jabr. “We have fewer water cuts. I just turn on the tap and water comes out!”

Spanish company to build Babil water plant
2013-04-09
The Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works on Tuesday (April 9th) signed a contract with a Spanish company to build a water plant in Babil, the ministry said.

In a statement obtained by Al-Shorfa, the ministry said it has signed a contract with a Spanish company to build the Abi Gharq water treatment plant in Babil.

The plant will be built to world-class specifications and standards and will have a capacity of 4,000 cubic metres of water. It is expected to cost 72 billion Iraqi dinars ($62 million).

Spanish engineers will be at the worksite at the beginning of May.

Are the taps flowing?

BAGHDAD/DUBAI, 22 April 2013 (IRIN) - For much of the past decade, Iraqis have cursed about two things: ‘maya’ and ‘kahraba’ - water and electricity.

These are more than petty complaints; they have become a benchmark by which Iraqis judge progress in their country. A recent survey by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) found that 42 percent of 2,000 Iraqis surveyed considered basic services - like water and electricity - among the top two concerns they want the current government to address.

In 2011, more than one-quarter of the population had access to water from the general network for less than two hours a day, and nearly half the population rated the quality of water services in their area as bad or very bad, according to the Iraq Knowledge Network (IKN), a survey of nearly 30,000 households conducted by the Ministry of Planning’s Central Statistics Organization, the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Office and the UN.

According to the UN, most Iraqis have limited access to clean water because of poor infrastructure maintenance and inadequate funding of the water supply system. One-fifth of Iraqis relied on bottled water as their main source of water, and only one-fifth of people had access to water from the general network all day long, the 2011 IKN survey found. The state of disrepair forced significant numbers of people into using river water, despite the health risks, IRIN reported in 2007.

Still, statistics appear to show that access to clean water has improved in the last decade.

In the 1980s, more than 90 percent of Iraqis were estimated to have sustained access to clean water. By 1990, this percentage had dropped to 81 percent, according to the government. Since, then, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the percentage of households using an improved water source, including bottled water, has risen from 83 percent in 2000 to 91 percent in 2011, after a drop in 2006. The percentage of Iraqis with access to improved sanitation also rose from a government estimate of 71.5 percent in 1990, to 92.5 percent in 2000 and 93.8 percent in 2011, according to UNICEF.

But experts warn that statistics vary significantly by region, and some Iraqis perceive there to be discrimination by sect. Just as deposed former president Saddam Hussein politicized service delivery, the current Shia-led government is seen, by some, to provide preferential service to Shia communities. In recent months, for example, large-scale protests in Sunni-led provinces have been partly inspired by dissatisfaction over service delivery in Sunnis areas.

For some, like Mustafa Ahmed, a father of two from Baghdad, the change in service provision has been negative. He told IRIN that, before 2003, he could get clean water from the network, but now he has to buy bottled water.

Meanwhile, water levels in Iraq’s rivers, lakes and reservoirs have decreased to “critical levels”, according to the UN, with the two main sources of surface water - the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - down to one-third of their normal capacity. Resulting water shortages have affected Iraq’s previously almost self-sufficient agricultural sector, which is now depressed and underproductive, the UN says.

For more, check out this UN fact-sheet (http://www.japuiraq.org/documents/1866/Water-Factsheet.pdf) on water in Iraq and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys of 2000, 2006 and 2011, which measure access to water and sanitation, among other things.

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Iraq plans to launch satellite to deal with water crisis


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A NASA satellite image of Baghdad, Iraq, and environs shows black smoke emanating from "hot spots" circled in red, March 31, 2003. (photo by NASA/MODIS/Getty Images)


By: Omar al-Shaher for Al-Monitor Iraq Pulse Posted on April 30.

Iraq is to launch a satellite at the end of this year as part of a scientific project dedicated to monitoring desertification and water shortages, whose repercussions have cast a shadow over the country for years.

Last Thursday [April 25], seven Iraqi ministries held a meeting to discuss procedures for launching and studying the economic feasibility of the project.

Deputy Minister of Communications Amir al-Bayati said, “Members of the high commission for the satellite project, which consists of seven ministries, have discussed the launching mechanism of the project and its economic feasibility, in addition to a well-defined cooperation process between all concerned parties in order to avoid any roadblocks that might stand in the way of completing the project.”

Rafed al-Jabouri, the general coordinator of the project, said, “Iraq will accomplish this project in cooperation with the Italian La Sapienza University and an Iraqi team of 15 researchers from three ministries, who underwent space training.”

Sources in the Ministry of Sciences and Technology — one of the ministries participating in the project — said that the cost of the project has reached $150 million.

Last month, an Iraqi delegation headed by the minister of communications, Torhan al-Mufti, held meetings in Paris with a European company specializing in manufacturing satellites to discuss building an Iraqi satellite. The delegation visited the premises of European company Astrium, which informed Iraq that it was ready to design and manufacture the Iraqi satellite and provide all additional services, including outfitting the satellite with a control and communication station.

Ministry of Communications adviser Karim Mazaal Shabi said to Al-Monitor that “launching an Iraqi satellite is a key project that interests the country, especially after opening again to the [rest of] Arab world.” The Ministry of Communications mentioned that Shabi delivered a speech during the technical demonstration held by Arabsat — a company affiliated with the Arab League — in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications about the manufacturing process, the launching and the maintenance of the satellite.

Arabsat was founded in 1976, since which time it has launched 51 satellites.

Iraq has been facing sandstorms for years in any given month due to the increasing area of land suffering from desertification. The country has struggled during the past three years with shortages in irrigation water supply from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that flow from Turkey.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that desertification has affected 80% of arable land due to water scarcity and climate change.

In 2009, Iraq created a special committee for desertification that comprises the Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Sciences and Technology, in addition to a committee of advisers affiliated with the premiership of the government. The committee works on three levels. The scientific research body follows up with the satellite project, the executive body is dedicated to carrying out, coordinating and observing projects and the follow-up body assesses the results, as well as scientific and executive activities.

Nespak gets irrigation project in Iraq

The International News, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

LAHORE: The Ministry of Water Resources (Iraq) has awarded an irrigation project known as East Gharaf to National Engineering Services Pakistan (Pvt) Limited (Nespak), said a Nespak spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that Dr Mansoor Ahmad Hashmi, vice president of Water Resources Division at Nespak, will proceed to Iraq by the end of this month to sign the agreement with the Ministry of Water Resources (Iraq).

The project aims to strengthen the war-torn economy of Iraq by providing sustainable irrigation and drainage facilities to about 390,000 acres of land in Nassiriya and Kut Governorates. Moreover, Nespak still retains its registration with the Ministry of Water Resources in Iraq.

“Nespak will render engineering consultancy services, including updation of topographic survey and detailed design of irrigation and drainage networks of the project area,” he said.

He added that Nespak has worked on a number of irrigation projects in the early 80s, such as Euphrates East Drain Project, Saddam Dam Project, North Jazira Irrigation and Drainage Project and Rumaitha Irrigation and Drainage Project. Recently, the company was also awarded the $500 million Bakhshabad Dam Project in Afghanistan. “Nespak is one of the largest consultancy firms in Asia. The company’s revenues have more than doubled with almost 30 percent contribution from overseas projects in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Afghanistan, Iran, Qatar, Yemen, Bangladesh and Ethiopia,” he said.