It's Something in the Water....

There are alot of issues surrounding Iraq and the water supply in the country. Here are just a few:

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I recently found an article covering entitled "Dirty Water, bad Blood," unveiling that a San-Fransico operated coproration, Bechtel, is responsible for dirty water in Iraq. And interestingly, Baghdad residents say that the conditions, not jsut the water!, have been getting alot WORSE since the removal of Sadaam. Ironic? Yes. Surprising? No. Sadly, this came as no shock to me whatsoever.

"Local officials blame Bechtel, the San Francisco-based company that has received hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. reconstruction contracts."

�This is just like Saddam�s time. In fact, it is worse. We have less water now than before. We are all sick with stomach problems and kidney stones. Our crops are dying.�

"At another small village between Hilla and Najaf, 1500 people are drinking water from a dirty stream which slowly trickles near the homes. Everyone has dysentery, many with kidney stones, a huge number with cholera. One of the men, holding a sick child, tells me, �It was much better before the invasion. We had 24 hours running water then. Now we are drinking this garbage because it is all we have.�


A little further down the road at a village of 6000 homes called Abu Hidari, it is more of the same. Here, Saddam was rebuilding the pipes, but this ceased during the invasion and has yet to be resumed. The women are carrying water from a nearby dirty creek into their homes, because again, they have no other option. "

Read more on the dirty water here.

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Another article highlights a similar issue concerning Iraq's water, and why the american drive for invasion being more than just for oil....maybe oil and water do mix...

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Now, this was publsihed in 200, but still an interesting read, originally from the Sunday herald (Scotland)

The US-led allied forces deliberately destroyed Iraq's water supply during the Gulf War - flagrantly breaking the Geneva Convention and causing thousands of civilian deaths.

During allied bombing campaigns on Iraq the country's eight multi-purpose dams had been repeatedly hit, simultaneously wrecking flood control, municipal and industrial water storage, irrigation and hydroelectric power. Four of seven major pumping stations were destroyed, as were 31 municipal water and sewerage facilities - 20 in Baghdad, resulting in sewage pouring into the Tigris. Water purification plants were incapacitated throughout Iraq.

this is an extremely interesting statistic i foundo n the site:

Water-borne diseases in Iraq today are both endemic and epidemic. They include typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, cholera and polio (which had previously been eradicated), along with a litany of others.

A child with dysentery in 1990 had a one in 600 chance of dying - in 1999 it was one in 50.

more on the deliberate poisoning
of the iraqi water supply here

just a few interesting artilces i found to share, more likely to be on the way!

So who really here is to blame for poor conditions of Iraqi water supply?

American corporations running the show?
The Amrican invasion searching for water and oil?
Or Gulf War Allies hoping to contaminate Iraqis?

Thoughts?
-madlove



[Edited on 3-11-04 by Scat]

the us planned to toss aside the problem of taking innocent lives, just to have a "good target"

he Ministry of Defence yesterday admitted the electricity system that powers water and sanitation for the Iraqi people could be a military target, despite warnings that its destruction would cause a humanitarian tragedy.

While military planners insist they have taken into account the humanitarian threat in the event of hostilities breaking out, a spokesman for the MoD admitted decisions may have to be made where a potential target had a "dual use".

www.commondreams.org...

what im wondering is....i thought we were supposed to be going after terrorists....why should we attack water, energy, and other systems which are used by CIVILIANS!!! i doubt all those "innocent victims" at 9/11 would want us to go kill more "innocent victims" in iraq, and SURELY the almighty government doesnt want ot hurt anyone so why are we going after this?

*noe- when i said "innocent victims" i didnt mean that in a cruel or mocking way, im just reversing the phrase we used onto what we are doing haha, dont want any bricks thrown at my face

do we now see one of the reasons for the mistrust that the arab world gives the usa. but forget about all of that, remember they are "liberated" now.

You see this is one of the reasons why I ask: " Why did we invade Iraq?"

they never did anything to us. Sure maybe their dictator was crazy, but how do we know that they are better off than before we attacked?

seriously!

i mean...itd be one thing if the people in power were saying its worse off without sadaam...that couldjust be one big fat lie! but the fact that the civilians are saying it is messed up.

how do you expect a people governed by a dictator to embrace or even survive in a democracy.

its like never letting a lion out of its cage, and then throwing it ino the lion king...WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?!?!?!?

or,like expecting a child whose decision are made by their parents to run a country. wtf?!?!