Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

(4) The Northern and Southern Deserts are bare plains with maximum elevation of about910 m in the west. A sand dune belt separates the eastern border from the EuphratesRiver. (5) The Lower Mesopotamian Plain is composed of thick layers of sediment fromthe Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and wind-blown deposits. Elevation extends from sealevel to approximately 30 m above sea level.b. Climate. The extremely hot, dry, nearly cloudless summer months (May -October) produce temperatures that can reach a daily high of 50 o C and an evening low of3 o C. Lower temperatures occur in the northeastern highlands. The winter months(November to April) produce temperatures that can reach a daily high of 43 o C and anevening low of 4 o C. Lower temperatures occur in the northeastern highlands. Decemberthrough February is the wettest season. Precipitation is highest in northeastern Iraq, whichreceives 381 to 483 mm of rain annually and snow up to 3 months a year. The highestrelative humidity occurs during the wet season except in Al Basrah, which has highhumidity and low rainfall year-round because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Dustand sandstorms occur year-round and are most severe between May and October._____________________________________________________________________________________Baghdad (elevation 34 m)Mean Daily Temperatures ( o C)MONTH J F M A M J J A S O N DMaximum 14 18 23 28 36 41 43 42 39 33 23 17Minimum 3 6 10 15 20 23 26 24 21 16 8 6Monthly PrecipitationMean (mm) 23 23 23 15 10 0 0 0 0 3 20 25______________________________________________________________________________________c. Population and Culture. Iraq’s high population growth rate and current politicalsituation will continue to worsen living conditions for most segments of the population.Population densities vary from 944 inhabitants per sq km in the Baghdad area to 56inhabitants per sq km in northern Iraq’s Dahuk area, and 4 inhabitants per sq km inwestern Iraq’s Al-Anbar area. The population is 79% Arab, 16% Kurd, 3% Persian, and2% Turkish. Total population 21.8 million; 70% urbanized; literacy rate 58%.d. Water, Living and Sanitary Conditions. Sanitary conditions are below Westernstandards throughout most of Iraq and continue to deteriorate, especially in the Basraharea. Water treatment and distribution systems throughout most of the country are old,poorly maintained, and leaky. Sewage, surface run-off, and even dead animals oftencontaminate drinking water sources and holding tanks. Urban sewage sometimes floodshomes and streets because of inoperative electric pumping stations, and untreated wastewater is discharged into surface water sources, including the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.Indiscriminate dumping occurs on the outskirts of cities. Expanding slums placeadditional demands on an already overburdened urban infrastructure. These conditionsreadily attract filth flies, rodents, and scavenging pest birds. Spilled water, especiallyuntreated, provides breeding sites for mosquitoes, rats, snail hosts of human parasites, and47