• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

24 September 2003

Water Resources Top Agenda for Iraq's Ministry of Public Works

Minister Berwari briefs reporters following meeting with President Bush

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Iraqi Minister of Public Works Nasreen Berwari revealed details of her ministry's plan to restore Iraq's drinking water and sewage treatment infrastructure during a September 24 press briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center following her meetings with President Bush and senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officials earlier in the week.

Berwari told reporters that water services are once again close to pre-war levels but stated that her ministry and the Iraqi Governing Council are working to move beyond those levels of service as quickly as possible.

She claimed that her first priority as minister of public works is to immediately ensure that "appropriate services are available to all Iraqis so that living conditions improve." Her second major challenge, she said, is an "institutional challenge" to build a ministry in which policy is made by "looking at the interests of the people in the context of a democratic, communal effort."

Berwari indicated that her ministry has developed a strategic plan to deliver safe drinking water to 90 percent of Iraqis by the end of 2004 and 100 percent by the end of 2005. The plan calls for extending sewage treatment to 15 percent of the country by the end of 2004 and to 30 percent by the end of 2005. Currently only 3 percent of Iraq's citizens enjoy proper sewage facilities.

Acknowledging that these are ambitious goals, Berwari expressed her appreciation for continued support from the United States as well as for recent pledges of support from countries such as Japan and the United Arab Emirates, but she called on other members of the international community to come forward and provide the additional help that Iraq needs at this time.

"The coming year will be a crucial year," Berwari said.

The minister said that she and other officials from her ministry have been reaching out to build a network of contacts among private sector companies, non-governmental and international organizations, as well as state agencies and others who have expertise to offer in the rebuilding effort. She said her staff holds regular meetings with representatives of these organizations to share information and coordinate rebuilding efforts.

Berwari also announced plans to hire 100,000 Iraqis in temporary positions to proceed with basic public works projects -- cleaning the cities, refurbishing the gardens and collecting garbage. She hopes that at the end of their temporary period, the ministry will then be in a position to take on even more permanent employees.

Asked about Iraq's historic dispute with Turkey over water from the Euphrates River, the minister indicated that the Iraqi Governing Council would be in discussions with Ankara regarding an equitable division of resources.

She insisted, however, that Iraq is rich in water resources. The country simply needs to work on conservation and management policies, she said. In her view, the former Ba'athist regime created a "culture of waste," but she affirmed her commitment to pursuing a more responsible use of resources.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)