Western Ways Force Iraq to Trim Water Projects: "Rising security and other overhead costs of Western contractors are cutting into the billions of dollars set aside for some 90 planned water projects, allowing them to supply only half the potable water originally expected, Iraqi officials say.
Scaling back the projects by that much would vastly reduce the benefits for the citizens of a country that already meets no more than 60 to 80 percent of the demand for water on a given day, depending on the region. The Iraqi government estimates may also have wider repercussions, because they provide the first concrete measure of how the continuing violence in Iraq could affect the $18.4 billion reconstruction program approved by Congress last fall.
That program covers numerous infrastructure areas, including transportation, oil, electricity, sewage - and of course water, the sector covered by the Iraqi estimates. Over all, about $4.3 billion was set aside for water and public works, of which about $2.8 billion has been released so far."
- posted by geoff @ #