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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

IRAQ: Clean up process started in Baqubah

BAQUBAH, 8 November 2004 (IRIN) - US troops are working in partnership with residents in the city of Baqubah, 60 km northwest of Baghdad, to develop a programme to clear rubbish and debris left behind by fighting between the troops and insurgents.

Officials from the governorate say they have not received any help in removing rubbish from the streets for about three months.

Every day more than 100 workers are going out to the streets to participate in the programme, which according to the health directorate in the city will help reduce children's diseases in the area after medical officials reported 30 cases of cholera and 20 of malnutrition.

"You can see rubbish and dirty water everywhere in our city, they should find a fast solution and I believe that those workers are doing the best thing for prosperity and health in our town," Dr Najla Hassuny from the local hospital, told IRIN.

Hassuny added that most of the common illnesses are related to water-borne diseases like cholera, leishmanioses skin disease and malnutrition.

She also noted that families in the area have had no education in how to prevent these diseases and let their children play in the dirty water. Most mothers are ignorant of the importance of the boiling water before drinking it.

The Ministry of Health said they have been informed about the critical situation in the city and are going to send a group of specialists to help.

Since the clean-up programme started some 47 items of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have also been discovered.

Potential roadside bombs are being identified and taken off the streets.

Mahmoud Al-Kareem, a senior Iraqi policeman in Baqubah told IRIN that they had been working hard to clear UXOs from the streets and that many children had been injured or killed by them. "I will do what is necessary to secure the safety of Iraqi children," he added.

This clear-up programme is also generating a new source of employment for Iraqis in the area. Nearly 500 new jobs have been created according to the head of the municipality in the city.

According to officials from the Municipality in Baghdad, the programme will be replicated in other provinces and will generate jobs.

Themes: (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Economy, (IRIN) Governance, (IRIN) Health & Nutrition, (IRIN) Human Rights

[ENDS]

This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004