Page 14 - AW SEPOCT 2019

WORLD NEWS

Water Crisis in Basra

or almost 30 years Iraqi authorities have failed to ensure Even where chlorine is added, high levels of turbidity
Fthat Basra residents have sufficient safe drinking water, or salt in water can make chlorination less effective for
resulting in on-going health concerns. killing bacteria. In addition, Basra’s piping network is
A Human Rights Watch said in a 128-page report. “Basra cracked, and fecally contaminated groundwater enters
is Thirsty” Iraqi’s Failure to Manage the Water Crisis,’’ found into the network so that the amount of chlorine added at
that the situation culminated in an acute water crisis that the treatment plan will likely not effectively treat the new
sent at least 118,000 people to hospital in 2018 and led to contaminants entering the system.
violent protests. Moreover, authorities turn a blind eye to activities that
The report found that the crisis is a result of complex pollute Basra’s water resources.
factors that if left unaddressed will most likely result in future In the summer of 2018, at least 118,000 people were
water-borne disease outbreaks and continued economic hospitalized due to symptoms doctors identified as related
hardship. The authorities at the local and federal level have to water quality. Authorities still have not published any
done little to address the underlying conditions causing official investigations into the cause of the health crisis.
the situation. Human Rights Watch also found evidence of a likely
Lama Fakih, acting Middle East director at Human large algal bloom in the Shatt al-Arab during the disease
Rights Watch said Basra will continue to face acute outbreak. Waste in water and higher temperatures
water shortages and pollution crises in the coming years, associated with climate change can contribute to this
with serious consequences, if the government doesn’t situation, but the government apparently did not look
invest now in targeted, long-term, and badly needed into it.
improvements. Iraq has no public health advisory system to inform
Basra’s primary water sources are the Shatt al-Arab residents when a community’s drinking water is, or could
river and its freshwater canals. Human Rights Watch found be, contaminated, and what steps should be taken to
that Iraqi authorities have failed to properly manage mitigate harm.
and regulate Iraq’s water resources, depriving people in Government engineering projects to improve water
southern Iraq’s Basra governorate – four million people – quality have failed to materialize due to mismanagement
of their right to safe drinking water for decades, including and corruption. For years, farmers and businesses were
during the period of occupation by the US- and UK-led tapping into the freshwater canals, leaving insufficient
Coalition Provisional Authority. But multiple government water for Basra’s public treatment plants for drinking water.
failures since the 1980s, including poor management of These combined failures violate Basra residents’ rights
upstream water sources, inadequate regulation of pollution to water, sanitation, health, information, and property
and sewage, and chronic neglect and mismanagement (land and crops) guaranteed under international and
of water infrastructure, have caused the quality of these national law.
waterways to deteriorate. To achieve the right to water, governments are obliged
To cope with water pollution and shortages, Basra to work toward universal access to water and sanitation
residents have had to rely on purchasing water. The high for all, without discrimination, while prioritizing those most
cost, especially during the crisis, falls hardest on poorer in need. But over 300,000 Basra governorate residents
residents, and makes them particularly vulnerable to are not connected to the water and sewage network,
exposure to unsafe tap water. leading some to illegally tap into the water supply, causing
The crisis has been worsened by reduced freshwater contamination, decreased water pressure, and wastage.
flow rates in the rivers due to upstream damming linked Human Right Watch say that authorities in Iraq should
to sugar plantations and other agricultural development, immediately put in place a public health advisory system
particularly in Iran, and lower rainfall in recent decades. that will allow authorities to inform residents when a
As a result of higher temperatures due to climate change, community’s drinking water is, or could be, contaminated,
water scarcity is projected to increase in the region. Yet what steps should be taken to mitigate harm, and to
there are no adequate policies to lessen harmful impacts. establish protocols for government officials to respond to
This has been exacerbated by unsustainable water use advisories and lift them.
in agriculture and for domestic purposes. The lack of “Access to safe drinking water is not only essential to our
sufficient water has led to seawater intrusion into the survival, but it is a fundamental right for everyone,” Fakih
Shatt al-Arab, making the water unsuitable for human said. “While solving Basra’s water crisis will take serious
consumption and irrigation of many crops. planning, time, and money, it is possible to address so
Basra’s public water plants are not equipped with long as authorities take their responsibilities seriously. The
the technology to make sea water potable. This makes alternative is deadly.” AW
chlorine, a chemical commonly used to treat water, less
effective.

12 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 Asian Water