Iraq's water, sanitation services failing

by AL Jazeera (repost)

Thu, Oct 7, 2004 8:19PM

Iraq only has 10% of the money needed over the next six years to fix its sewage and drinking water systems, a public works minister said on Thursday.

Nasrin Barwari said the dilemma is worsened by a US proposal to shift $2 billion earmarked for the sector to security needs.

"It is very critical that grants get expanded for the sector," the minister told a news conference in Baghdad.

The US government promised to pump $18.4 billion into reconstruction projects in Iraq after last year's invasion.

But a month ago it revealed a plan to shift some of this cash into beefing up the country's security forces in response to anti-US attacks.

An audit also revealed that only $1.1 of the reconstruction funds had been used and reconstruction projects were slow in taking off.

Broken promises?

Barwari said this move would affect her ministry the most, with $2 billion out of a proposed $4 billion set to be siphoned off.

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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2A7C0430-CAFE-4E54-A442-38AA74C6000B.htm

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