Iraq

Pollution Chokes the Tigris
With reconstruction of a highly inadequate water treatment and distribution system at a near standstill throughout much of Central Iraq, some residents of Baghdad are left with little choice but to drink highly polluted water from the Tigris River.

Denial of Information On Iraqi Contracts
In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Public Citizen, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) refused to disclose key information about the contract Bechtel has been awarded to rebuild, assess and repair water, sewerage and electrical systems in Iraq. Our taxpayer dollars are funding these companies, but citizens cant even find out how their money is being spent! Bechtel has an extremely poor track record around the world.

Reconstructing Iraq and the Right to Water
Water is essential for human life. No one can survive without sufficient water for drinking, cooking, washing and general hygiene. The human right to water is recognized in international law and must be defended during times of war.

New Report Exposes Contractor Bechtel as Threat to Iraqi Environment, Human Rights and Basic Services
Bechtel Group Inc., one of the lead contractors in the reconstruction of Iraq, has a 100-year history of capitalizing on environmentally unsustainable technologies and reaping immense profits at the expense of societies and the environment.

Basra's pivotal issue - water
The second-largest city in Iraq with its 1.5 million residents has been struggling for a month now to receive any - even marginally - potable water, ever since water-purification and pumping stations were hit by the war and the ensuing mayhem. The severe shortage is obvious, with people gathering with any kind of container to collect water - from broken pipes, polluted canals and the Shatt al-Arab river.

Grim situation in Basra
Diseases like dysentery are spreading in Basra as a result of a lack of clean drinking water, doctors in Iraq's second city warned.

Deal to Sell Water All Wet, Critics Charge
The U.S. military came up with a solution yesterday for the penniless people of this Iraqi port town begging for water: Sell it.

Basra Facing Disaster After Supplies Cut
Water and electricity have been cut off in the southern Iraqi city of Basra for more than two days, threatening a humanitarian disaster, it was claimed today. "Sixty per cent of the local population are still without access to a regular water supply - this could develop into a humanitarian crisis.

The Secret Behind the Sanctions
How the U.S. Intentionally Destroyed Iraq's Water Supply

Iraqi Water and Sanitation Systems Could Be Military Target
The Ministry of Defence yesterday admitted the electricity system that powers water and sanitation for the Iraqi people could be a military target, despite warnings that its destruction would cause a humanitarian tragedy.

The Secret Behind the Sanctions
Over the last two years, I've discovered documents of the Defense Intelligence Agency proving beyond a doubt that, contrary to the Geneva Convention, the U.S. government intentionally used sanctions against Iraq to degrade the country's water supply after the Gulf War. The United States knew the cost that civilian Iraqis, mostly children, would pay, and it went ahead anyway.

Iraq Water Project
A national project to educate the American public about the effects of economic sanctions against Iraq.

How the U.S. Intentionally Destroyed Iraq's Water Supply
Over the last two years, I've discovered documents of the Defense Intelligence Agency proving beyond a doubt that, contrary to the Geneva Convention, the U.S. government intentionally used sanctions against Iraq to degrade the country's water supply after the Gulf War. The United States knew the cost that civilian Iraqis, mostly children, would pay, and it went ahead anyway.

1993-present. To quell opposition to his government, Saddam Hussein reportedly poisons and drains the water supplies of southern Shiite Muslims, the Ma'dan. The European Parliament and UN Human Rights Commission deplore use of water as weapon in region.

1991 Baghdad’s modern water supply and sanitation system are intentionally targeted by Allied coalition.

1991 Discussions are held at the United Nations about using the Ataturk Dam in Turkey to cut off flows of the Euphrates to Iraq.

1991 During the Gulf War, Iraq destroys much of Kuwait’s desalination capacity during retreat.