Desk Study on the Environment in Iraq Desk Study on the ... - UNEP

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the
city’s only source of water. 16 The pumping of wastewater to sewage treatment plants
relies on a network of pumping stations in the city, and few of these stations have backup
generators for operation in the event of disruption to the main electricity supply. In the
north of the country, most sewage disposal takes place through a system of cesspools and
septic tanks that are not dependent on power supplies. 17
• Water supply
Prior to the 1991 Gulf War, potable water was supplied to all urban centres, but only 54% of
rural areas. The situation has deteriorated subsequently, due inter alia to poor maintenance and
the banning of chlorine imports – required for water treatment – under UN sanctions for
potential ‘dual use’ substances. 18 This has led to the spread of a wide range of water-borne
illnesses such as typhoid, dysentery, cholera and polio, the latter re-emerging after nearly being
eradicated prior to the sanctions. 19 Significant quantities of water are lost through leakages.
• Irrigation and salinity
Irrigation in what is now Iraq dates back some 7,500 years to the time when the Sumerians
built a canal to irrigate wheat and barley on land between the Tigris and the Euphrates. It was
estimated in 1990 that over 5.5 million ha of Iraqi territory are potentially suitable for irrigation,
with 63% of this land occurring in the Tigris basin, 35% in the Euphrates basin, and 2%
along the Shatt al-Arab. However, irrigation development depends to a large extent on the
volume of water released by the upstream countries. 20
The risk of elevated soil salinity and waterlogging as a consequence of poor irrigation practices
has long been a priority concern in the country, and was already recorded as a cause of
crop yield reductions some 3,800 years ago. It is estimated that in 1970 half the irrigated areas
in central and southern Iraq were degraded in this way. In 1978, a land rehabilitation programme
was initiated, comprising concrete lining for irrigation canals and the installation of
field drains and collector drains. By 1989, a total of 700,000 ha had been rehabilitated at a
cost of around US$2,000/ha. 21
BOUSTANI SAMARA - CORBIS
Pollution of surface waters is a major problem throughout Iraq
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<strong>Desk</strong> <strong>Study</strong>