WATER AND SANITATION
USAID's goal is to improve the efficiency and reliability of existing water and wastewater treatment facilities, especially those in the south where water quantity and quality are particularly low. An anticipated 11.8 million Iraqis will benefit from USAID's $600 million in water and sanitation projects.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
- Nationwide: Repaired various
sewage lift stations and water treatment units.
- Baghdad: Expanding and rehabilitating
one water treatment plant and constructing another to increase capacity
by approximately 120 million gallons per day; rehabilitating sewage treatment
plants.
- A major wastewater treatment plant in Baghdad began operating in June of 2004; this is the first major sewage plant in the country to operate in over 12 years.
- The sewage treatment system in Baghdad, barely functioning for years before the conflict, will be restored to almost 100-percent capacity, serving 80 percent of Baghdad's population.
- Standby generators are being installed at 41 Baghdad water facilities.
- South: Rehabilitated parts of
the Sweet Water Canal system, including repairing breaches, cleaning the
main reservoir, and refurbished 14 water treatment plants around Basrah
serving 1.75 million people.
- South Central: Rehabilitating two water plants and four sewage plants.
- North: Completed rehabilitation of Kirkuk water plant and continuing refurbishment of sewage plant near Mosul.
- Completed the rehabilitation of a sewage plant in Babil Governorate.
- Sewage plants in An Najaf, Al Qadisiyah, Karbala, and Babil Governorates will serve 440,000 upon completion.
- Water treatment in Najaf and Babil
will serve residents and visitors at Iraq's holiest shrines.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
Work moves forward on the refurbishment of a water treatment plant in Karbala. Currently, work focuses on placing prefabricated reinforcement systems, formwork, and concrete for compact unit foundations. Installation of a new low lift pump and refurbishing of piping and valves is ongoing at the intake works. This project will install 10 compact clarifier units, with a total capacity of 25 million gallons per day, and enlarge the existing inlet works and associated pump station. The plant is located in the city's center, near one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines. In addition to providing water to city residents, potable water will be supplied seasonally to an estimated three million pilgrims. The project will be completed in September 2005.
USAID is currently implementing the Baghdad Water Distributions Mains project that involves modeling the distribution system to collect data and conduct a survey of major water mains in the city and the extensive repair and replacement of mains, distribution pipes and valves. After years of neglect and inconsistent repair, the Baghdad Municipal water system was badly deteriorated. The entire distribution network had neither a Master Plan nor a hydraulic model. The system presently loses about 60 percent of its water due to leaks, illegal connections, and unmetered water uses including government buildings and fire protection.
With approximately 32km of main and connection pipe installed to date, the project will be completed by the end of December 2005. The data collection for the hydraulic model has been completed and the final design is complete for 75 of the 79 sectors, laying a foundation for an accurate model of the water distribution network.
Civil and electrical work is underway at water and sewage treatment plants serving Diyala governorate which require rehabilitation and expansion to better serve the region's 60,000 residents. The water treatment plant is operating well below capacity, providing only 33 percent of the potable water needed for the region. Currently, work continues on placing concrete for the power plant electrical ducts, sludge pits, and compact units. Sand media filling was recently completed for one compact unit and the sand base for the raw water pipeline is proceeding. This project is 70 percent finished and is scheduled for completion in May 2005.
USAID and the US Army have completed work to rehabilitate Mosul's water treatment and sewer systems. In support of the Army's efforts to install diesel generator systems and rehabilitate Mosul's six water treatment plants and eight pump stations, USAID worked to clear the city's sewer and storm-drain systems and provided trucks and other equipment including pumps and pump control systems, valves, penstocks, pipes, spare parts, tools, and electrical equipment. USAID also provided welding training to water treatment plant operations and maintenance staff. With the completion of this project and the re-commissioning of the elevated tanks, Mosul will have 24 hours of water available.
ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE
USAID supports sustainable economic reforms in Iraq including examining and reforming laws, regulations, and institutions and providing a framework for private sector trade, commerce, and investment. The reforms will strengthen the Central Bank and the Ministries of Finance, Trade, Commerce and Industry-among others.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
- Worked with the Ministry of Finance
to introduce the new Iraqi dinar.
- Created more than 77,000 public works
jobs through the National Employment Program.
- Provided technical assistance on accounting,
budgeting and lending activities at Iraq's commercial banks. Trained
116 bankers from the Rafidain and Rasheed banks in six training courses.
- Assisted in management of $21 million
micro-credit program.
- Improved statistical analysis, monetary
policymaking, and bank supervision procedures at Iraq's Central Bank; offered
a two-week banking course to Central Bank staff with the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York.
- Evaluated and updated commercial laws
on private sector and foreign investment.
- Assisted in developing the five percent
reconstruction levy on imports; built capacity of customs officials to
implement levy.
- Developed a government-wide IT strategy
to support the automation of planning, budgeting and reporting processes
across ministries.
- Developed WTO Accession Roadmap in cooperation
with Iraqi officials.
- Provided technical assistance as well
as information on contracting opportunities for Iraqi businesses and entrepreneurs
through business centers.
- Provided technical support for the re-opening of the Iraq Stock Exchange after it was closed down for more than 15 months; 3.6 billion Iraqi dinars ($2.4 million USD) in shares were traded in the first day.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
USAID's Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) program supports the development of a competitive and efficient private sector in Iraq through a package of training, technical assistance, consulting, and business entrepreneurship services. Recent activities in support of VEGA objectives have included:
Grant activities. VEGA recently approved 16 grants for a total of $111,160, including six grants ($36,950) in Baghdad and 10 ($74,210) in Arbil. Grants were provided to a broad variety of businesses, including a private dental clinic, a sewing workshop, a bakery, a beekeeping operation, a printing press, and an art production venture.
Training of trainers. VEGA advisors conducted a "training of trainers" (TOT) workshop for field staff from a non-governmental organization that is working with USAID's Community Action Program. The TOT session in Arbil provided instruction on basic business skills development to 12 NGO staffers from Kirkuk, Samarra, Tikrit, Balad Ross, and Diyala.
USAID's Iraq Economic Governance II (IEG II) program is working with Iraqi government counterparts to build their capacity to reform the tax system. Recent activities have included:
Building government capacity. IEG II is working with Iraq's General Commission for Taxes (GCT) to strengthen its ability to collect and regulate taxes. Advisors delivered drafts of policy papers that recommend and detail a new organizational structure for the GCT, taking into account the impact of a new automated tax administration system that is also being supported by IEG II.
Drafting new tax forms. IEG II advisors recently completed and delivered to the GCT drafts of new tax forms, including audit forms, a wage withholding tax adjustment notice, a wage withholding tax collection notice, and a form for waiving penalties for delayed payment of wage withholding taxes.
Iraqi entrepreneurs and business people took part in recent training sessions and other business development activities as part of the VEGA program. Recent activities have included:
Training activities. An Iraqi women's NGO delivered a basic business skills training seminar for Iraqi businesses in As Sulaymaniyah. Topics included developing and writing business plans, managing finances, marketing, and business management. Twenty-eight business representatives attended the training session; 25 of whom were women.
Business toolkits. Business training toolkits were received from the US and are now being revised for the local context prior to being translated into Arabic and Kurdish. The toolkits are designed to assist trainers in improving the skills of small business employees and owners in entrepreneurship, accounting, and financial management.
AGRICULTURE
USAID's goals are to work in conjunction with Iraqi ministries, the private sector, and higher education institutions to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income and employment generation, nurture rural initiatives, and rehabilitate the natural resource base.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
- Summer and Winter Crop Technology
Demonstrations: These demonstrations are introducing farmers to new
technologies and techniques through extension field days.
- Animal Health: Several veterinary
clinics in Kirkuk, Fallujah, and other cities are being renovated and a
grant has been made for dipping tanks to improve sheep health and wool.
- Technology Support: The Ministry
of Agriculture and a major university's schools of Agriculture and Veterinary
Science have been awarded grants to furnish and equip computer centers,
improving research capabilities and consulting capacity.
- Date Palm Propagation: In collaboration
with the Ministry of Agriculture, 40,000 elite date palm offshoots are
being used to establish mother orchards in 13 governorates as part of a
multiplication program and the establishment of a national register of
elite varieties.
- Agriculture Sector Transition Plan: This plan, completed in mid-April, addresses the short-term recovery of agricultural infrastructure as well as medium and long-term implementation of policies to develop a market-based agricultural economy.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and USAID's Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program are working to improve productivity in Iraqi orchards. Preparation has begun on 24 farms in Dahuk governorate participating in an olive orchard improvement project aimed at enhancing olive production and improving the skills and income of beneficiary farmers. To increase earning potential, MOA/ARDI will provide seedlings from nurseries in the region, using popular varieties that have a large domestic market. When field preparation is complete, each farmer will receive 300 olive seedlings.
MOA/ARDI has awarded a grant to a local NGO to provide practical training in orchard establishment and management, which will increase farmers' technical knowledge and improve peach production. One hundred farmers in Dahuk have been invited to participate in the first field day in April that will focus on practical training for peach orchard maintenance.
Farmers have begun preparing fields in two villages in Dahuk that will be used for 20 demonstration apple orchards. So far, an estimated four hectares have been prepared for the 2,100 seedlings that are superior genotypes from local rootstock and will be planted in the coming months. Participating farmers received production tools this week and will receive training in orchard production and management once the seedlings have been planted.
More than 50 Iraqi farmers, researchers, and government officials took part in a recent workshop at the MOA in As Sulaymaniyah to plan this year's hybrid corn trials. The workshop was supported by the MOA and the ARDI program as part of an activity that helps farmers plant improved, hybrid varieties of corn that bear higher yields and lower costs. A new plot will be planted in As Sulaymaniyah as part of MOA/ARDI's commitment to scientific and technical cooperation between the Central Government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government. The workshop was designed to introduce the farmers, researchers, and MOA staff to the trials and explain and discuss the methods that will be used in the new corn plot. The research from the trials will determine which hybrids are best suited to Iraq's climate, soil, and growing seasons. The hybrids will increase corn production for poultry feed and help reduce Iraq's reliance on imports.
The yields from last year's trials were tremendous, and the group in As Sulaymaniyah hopes to repeat this success in their own plot. Researchers and farmers will begin planting this week.
EDUCATION
USAID's goals are to increase enrollment, improve primary and secondary education, ensure classrooms have sufficient supplies, facilitate community involvement, train teachers, implement accelerated learning programs, and establish partnerships between U.S. and Iraqi colleges and universities.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
Facilities
- Awarded 627 grants worth more than $6
million to rehabilitate schools and equip Directorates General.
- Rehabilitated 2,405 schools countrywide.
Supplies
- Distributed desks, chairs, cabinets,
chalkboards, and kits for primary and secondary schools countrywide.
- Printed and distributed 8.7 million revised math and science textbooks to grades 1-12 by mid-February 2004.
Institutional Strengthening
- Completed a major initiative that trained
nearly 33,000 secondary school teachers and administrators, including 860
master trainers, nationwide.
- Conducted a pilot accelerated learning
program in five Iraqi cities to allow out-of-school children to complete
two school years in one year. More than 550 students participated.
- Assisted the Ministry in establishing official baseline education data for Iraq.
Higher Education
- Awarded five grants worth $20.7 million
to create partnerships between 10 Iraqi universities and U.S. counterparts
in the Higher Education and Development (HEAD) program.
- The HEAD program has provided training
opportunities for approximately 1,000 Iraqi faculty and students, awarded
more than 75 mini-grants, and supported a dozen graduate students in full-time
study.
- HEAD is helping Iraqi universities rebuild and re-equip facilities; send students and professors to international conferences; and reform curricula.
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
USAID is strengthening agricultural research and education in Iraq through a partnership between agriculture colleges at the University of Hawaii and Iraqi universities. The Higher Education and Development (HEAD) partnership is training faculty and students, improving laboratories and other facilities, and equipping libraries.
Eleven professional development and planning workshops were recently held for 250 Iraqi university faculty members. The workshops, taught by leading agriculturalists around the world, provided faculty with training in agricultural statistics, experimental design, technology transfer, soil and water sciences, field crops, animal sciences, agricultural engineering and forest science.
Six Iraqi graduate students participated in study abroad programs at an American University. The students improved their English language skills, visited research centers and conducted advanced research projects. The students also participated in a three week library skills training class which will allow them to teach others how to utilize the electronic resources being integrated into their universities at home.
The program is also supporting the rehabilitation of greenhouses, libraries and computer facilities that are critical for conducting modern agricultural research. In addition, $205,500 in small grants has been awarded to 18 faculty from Iraqi agriculture and forestry colleges to conduct research in priority areas such as pesticide and fertilizer use.
To foster community support of the mud school project, USAID's basic education program has conducted 73 workshops in 18 governorates to discuss the project with residents. The program is designed to replace primary and secondary rural schools made of sticks and mud with more stable concrete structures. Over 6,800 community members attended these workshops to learn about the program and voice their suggestions.
Surveys are underway to select one school from each of Iraq's 84 sub-districts to serve as a model for other schools in the district. The project will equip the schools and train the teachers to make these model schools "centers of excellence", demonstrating a level of educational quality that other district schools can realistically attain. Training will include in-service teacher and administrator training. The project will refurbish and equip schools with science, computer and language laboratories as well as establish libraries within the model schools. In order to be selected, a model school must be located in a poor to middle class area and not private or religious.
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