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From Water and Wastewater.com Industry News
“More than 2.5 million local residents of Basrah Province will have a reliable source of water through the construction of Qurmat Ali pumping units,” said Resident Engineer Stanley Dowdy, Basrah Area Office, Gulf Region South. Iraqi water projects are considered a high priority in the budget of the Iraqi Reconstruction Relief Funds. The goal is to provide an uninterrupted flow of water for the residents of Basrah province and develop the infrastructure to improve the quality of life for all the people, according Dowdy. At present, the southern region of Iraq suffers from an aging infrastructure and serious shortage of potable water according to the United Nations and the World Health Organization reports. “The main objective of the Qurmat Ali pumping units is to increase the water pressure throughout the city of Basrah to 25 percent and have the unit work as an alternative to the Sweetwater Canal which was built in the 1990’s to bring fresh water from Al-Gharraf River,” said an Iraqi project engineer, “Therefore, in case the canal is closed for maintenance, Qurmat Ali pumping units will work in reverse to supply water to the people.” “After nearly $645,000 worth of construction – with civil, mechanical, electrical and construction labor all done by Iraqis - the unit’s construction is now complete and being operated by the Basrah Water Directorate,” said Dowdy. Dowdy described how GRS supervised the connection of 11kV overhead transmission lines to provide reliable power to the new facility. “The project included a control room, control panels, pump assessment, sediment removal, a sunshade, operations training, a computer system to track operations and maintenance,” he said. “The new facilities ultimate design capacity is 4,000 cubic meters per hour,” said Deputy Resident Engineer Al, Basrah Area Office, GRS. “The collateral benefits of the Qurmat Ali pumping units are increased water pressure which reduces contamination; filling of the existing water storage tanks and slowing aquifer depletion,” he said. Al also said that this project is designed to build a foundation, which will enable and sustain the Iraqi people to create healthy, safe lives for themselves and their families. The project will have a direct impact on the residents which has suffered from a shortage of water for more than 20 years. “The construction of this project supports the local Iraqi economy by providing jobs to local Iraqis’ and Iraqi owned companies,” said Al. In the southern provinces of Iraq, there are more than 120 public works and water projects designed to improve sewer systems or provide potable water to the Iraqis. Several of the large water treatment projects are designed to provide potable water to hundreds of Iraqis. These projects are improving the overall living conditions and health issues of this impoverished country. Source: http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/ © Copyright 1998 - 2008 Water and Wastewater.com |
