July 8, 2005 – Doctors in Iraq say unsafe drinking water is putting children at increased risk for diarrhea and other water-borne illnesses, and officials with the Ministry of Water Resources say it will take $15 billion in repairs to ensure delivery of safe drinking water to the country’s 27 million citizens.
In Baghdad during the past two weeks, doctors reported that 160 children came down with diarrhea after consuming contaminated water, according to IRIN News.
Last year, the US committed only $4 billion for repairs to Iraq’s water system, and of that amount only a small portion has actually been spent for reconstruction projects.
Insurgents have also reportedly targeted Iraq’s water infrastructure, recently attacking a key water main in Baghdad that left more than two million people without drinking water.
