Basra: the main source of the Iraqi national economy
The province of Basra, Iraq’s economic capital, and its tributary in terms of oil wealth, is one of the most important oil cities in the world.
Basra suffers from scarcity of water and services for many and complicated reasons. See the following link for more details on the causes of the crisis in Basra (http://rawabetcenter.com/archives/73171).
The crisis in Basra is a crisis that has been going on for many years, and with the continuation of political conflicts and wars, the suffering of its people has increased. At the same time, officials of different governments did not care to solve its ongoing problems year after year in a way that reduces the suffering of its inhabitants.
Today, the people of Basra suffer from severe shortage of potable water, human use, and even many of them have been ill as a result of water pollution, the absence of a full supply of essential services of electricity and health care, not to mention the unemployment crises resulting from the years of war and terrorism of ISIS. The natural result was that people exploded from within, and they have expressed their explosion with massive protests and demonstrations we witnessed that swept across the districts and areas of Basra.
With all these challenges , Iraq ‘s oil minister, Jabbar al-Luaibi , who is the independent son of Basra , has recorded a series of global achievements through his administration of Iraqi oil ministry , has achieved the highest rate of exports of crude oil , exceeding three and half million barrels per day
Today, al-Luabi stressed the need to eliminate the water crisis in Basra and to end the suffering of its people. The Ministry of Oil will implement a number of projects aimed at providing safe drinking water as well as treating water from environmental and industrial pollution through the implementation of pipeline projects transporting water from major sources to treatment plants and allocating a fund for the development and support of water projects in Basra Governorate.
Al-Luaibi stressed the unity of good efforts to overcome the water crisis in the province of Basra, and all ministries and agencies concerned to unite efforts, away from negligence and corruption and bureaucracy, and away from political bargaining and others , the Ministry of Oil and through its sense of national , professional, moral and humanitarian responsibility , it seeks to contribute actively in serving the Sons of Iraq, and alleviate their suffering, in the province of Basra and other provinces.
As part of the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Oil to deal with the problem of providing potable water to the people of Basra Governorate, the Italian company Eni was contracted to accelerate the provision of potable water to the people of the governorate. In fact , the company started conducting surveys and preparing the studies for the water purification plant of Al-Bardiya in cooperation with one of the International companies specialized in this field , in order to identify the reality of water station of al-Bardiya in the site , and the development of processors and quick solutions for the rehabilitation and operation of this important station , which provides potable water (3000m3 ) per hour , the implementation of a desalination project in the Bardiya Water Station, which will contribute significantly to the elimination of salinity, harmful substances and contaminants, pumping potable water to the citizens, and all the beneficiaries of that station, and Alluaibi great praised the great efforts done by the Italian company Eni and its fruitful cooperation with the Ministry in providing support for Basra Governorate.
Al=Luaibi stressed the period of completion of the work , which takes four months , and considered it a prerequisite to the company ,and executing company to comply with the timing of the implementation period , and water purification and sterilization will be done in accordance with the most accurate health conditions and approved standards .
Al-Luaibi said that the ministry will also coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals to implement another project in the national effort to extend two pipes to Al-Bardiya station and find outlets for sewage disposal outside the Shatt al-Arab waters pointing out that the first pipe extends from Qurna district and the second ones extends from al-Badaa water pumping station .
Al-Allaibi directed to the national companies specialized in the maintenance work to carry out the comprehensive rehabilitation of pumps and filters in the water station of Abu al-Khasib, as well as the extension of two tubes, the first extends from Katiban station and the other from Shatt al-Arab, in order to strengthen additional sources of water for the station Abu Al-Khasib, to be followed up and supervised by the Ministry, and the implementation will be in the coming days, and will be completed in record time.
In the same context, Al-Luaibi referred to the ministry’s agreement with Exxon Mobil Petroleum Company to install new pumps in the Shatt al-Arab plant to convert pumping water to( R0 ) , and through this project, water will be pumped for domestic use, pointing out that the directions also obligate ExxonMobil company to extend a pipeline from the ” Katiban ” station to the Shatt al-Arab, to boost the amount of water pumped to citizens.
And the period given to the US company is four months can not be extended , considering that the period is sufficient to complete the project and the Ministry of Oil will set up a health clinic near the R0 station to provide medical and therapeutic services to the employees of the station, which is located far from the health centers and Basra hospitals.
it is worth to be mentioned that the Ministry of Oil will also rehabilitate a number of purification and treatment plants, in cooperation with international companies operating in Iraq, within the rounds of oil licensing, as well as the installation of a number of desalination units in the stations, in addition to the Ministry will finance a number of important water projects.
Al- Luaibi affirmed that the initiatives of the Ministry of Oil are part of the effort to provide potable water and eliminate the water scarcity in the province of Basrah and that the national, professional and moral responsibility calls us today to address the water problems and poor services of the governorate, which constitute the main source for Iraqi national economy and all the concerned parties have to carry out their duties in order to accelerate the overcoming of this crisis , and that the ministry has taken effective measures , as far as it is concerned , in coordination with the government crisis cell and the concerned authorities in the province .
Shatha Khalil *
Economic Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies