Water Treatment

Sanctions deny even water to Iraqi citizens, but US peace workers pitch in

story and photos by Vickie Goodwin, contributor

Many of the facts and figures reported in the following article were obtained from sources in Iraq. Although the Free Press does not want to understate the seriousness of conditions in Iraq, international sources report that standards for record-keeping in Iraq have broken down, and that there is a tendency in Iraq to overstate death statistics. Nevertheless, UNICEF estimates that some 500,000 children have died in Iraq since 1990. We salute the author for her brave concern for human welfare. -Ed

I’d like to tell about my trip from Wyoming, where I live, to Iraq, where I helped repair water systems that have been bombed and kept inoperable by the US. The trip was sponsored by Veterans for Peace (VFP), founded in 1985, and Life for Relief and Development (LRD).

The UN economic sanctions are killing nearly 6000 persons per month in Iraq. Many of these deaths could be prevented with adequate supplies of clean, filtered water. Water treatment plants have been rendered inoperable because vital supplies can’t be obtained due to the US-maintained sanctions and the continued bombing campaign. VFP has raised funds to rebuild four water treatment plants in southern Iraq, where I went to help out.

I arrived in Amman, Jordan, in March with 12 other members of VFP. Our team also included two Vietnam veterans, a WW II veteran, a Korean War veteran, and a Gulf War vet.

We visited the Museum of War, which stands as both an indictment of the US bombing and a tribute to the Iraqi government’s ability to rebuild quickly.

I was appalled to learn that over 3000 schools had been bombed during the Gulf War. The Iraqi Government had called off school during the war so few children were killed in the actual bombing.

March 18th was very sobering for us, as we visited the Al-Amyria Shelter, which was bombed with two direct hits during the War. The US claimed that Saddam Hussein was in the shelter, but he wasn’t. Over 400 people (mostly children) died in this shelter. It is heartbreaking to walk through and see the monuments to dead families. Many people had sent their children here so they would be safe. One woman lost all five of her children.

At the Al-Mansour Pediatric Hospital, we saw the long-term effects of the Gulf War and the continuing effects of the sanctions. Out of every eight births, one child is born with a disability, or develops a medical condition at a later stage in her/his life.

Altogether 108 infants per 1000 will die. Of children under five, 131 in 1000 will die and 294 children die in every 1000 births. There has been a 100 percent increase in the childhood leukemia here. Most of these children will die. These deaths have been traced to the depleted uranium used in bombs the US dropped during the War. The medicine to treat these children is being held up by the sanctions.

A visit to the Ibu Ghazwan Pediatric Hospital showed more children dying because of the actions of the US government. In 1990, Iraq had one of the lowest rates of death from childhood diseases. Now children are dying from leukemia, respiratory infections, diseases related to a polluted water supply such as diarrhea and gastroenteritis, and malnutrition.

Infant mortality has soared, as has the number of malformed babies. Many of these malformations have never been seen before and doctors believe these malformations are the result of the depleted uranium. Some doctors here say the US soldiers may have been even more exposed than the Iraqis.

We also learned that there is virtually no medicine in this country. You can’t even buy aspirin. There aren’t even any drug stores.

Finally we traveled to Basrah, in southern Iraq, where the water plants are located, and where we saw the first water plant the VFP had helped to refurbish at Labbani. It provides clean tap water to over 55,000 people. It was a proud moment as we looked over what had been accomplished by a little money and a lot of hard work.

We visited the other three plants that were to be refurbished in the next few months. The three facilities had no water treatment at all, and there was a crucial need for new generators, because electrical power is irregular, averaging only three hours per day. The generators will help deliver clean drinking water to households 24 hours a day.

On March 21 & 22 we worked at the plants. I appreciated the kindness of the workers at the other water plants who let a group of unskilled laborers mess up their workday so we could feel like we helped and I think we did help, some.

By March 27 we were home again.

Many people in the US think people in the Arab countries are religious zealots. But we learned that around 12 percent of Iraqis are Christian, that there is a large Jewish synagogue in Baghdad and that different religions are represented in the government.

I found that the Iraqis did not blame Americans personally for what has been done to them by the US government. They are proud of their culture and their homes, and want to go about their business without fear of being bombed.

One question I am often asked: With the Oil For Food and Medicine program, why don’t Iraqis have the medicine they need? Currently, Iraq has millions of dollars saved for this in an account at the UN, and the US and Britain are supposed to decide if the medicine or supplies requested could be used for peace or war.

Veterans for Peace says it’s time to stop bombing innocent civilians and to end the sanctions in Iraq. For more information about this project please go to www.veteransforpeace.org and open the link to the Iraq Water Project.