Coalition forces visit water company in Kut

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Lazo | An Iraqi worker performs a maintenance check on a water pump at the al Kut Water Company on April 6. Soldiers from the Cuscatlan Battalion's civil military cooperation team visited the water company to assess its capacity and maintenance. The water company provides water to 300,000 residents in the city.  

IRAQ

04.12.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Carlos Lazo 

302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Carlos J. Lazo
214th Fires Brigade

AL KUT, Iraq – Coalition forces conducted an assessment of the al Kut Water Company on April 6.

Lt. Col. Mario E. Murcia, an engineer with El Salvador's Cuscatlán Battalion's Civil Military Cooperation team, visited the water company to assess its capacity and maintenance.

The water company supplies 300,000 residents of the city with water, said Diaa Mohammed Obed, an engineer and supervisor of the water company.

Using five pumps, water is carried from the Tigris River to the plant for treatment. Once treated, four additional pumps carry the water from the plant to residents in the city.

The company also uses trucks to transport water to towns and villages surrounding al Kut, said Obed.

The only obstacle is obtaining spare parts for the machinery when problems arise, said Obed. Many of the parts are not available in nearby markets and must be purchased outside the local area. However, he said overall operations at the plant continue thanks to maintenance checks every six months.

"The company is functioning at around 80 to 90 percent capacity, but they still need help." Murcia said. "The more help we provide the water company, the more it helps the community."

Besides the main company in the city, the Salvadoran soldiers visited a water station in the village of al Yusofia, west of the city. The Cuscatlán Battalion previously refurbished a school and clinic in the village.

The village uses a man-made canal connected to the Tigris River to fill a small reservoir. The reservoir supplies the school, clinic and homes in the surrounding area with water. Unfortunately, water levels are currently lower than what is required for the pumps to supply the entire village, said Murcia. Because of the low levels, the school and some of the residents do not receive any water from the station.

Murcia discussed with local leaders plans to expand and clean the canal in order to increase the flow and level of water. Plans are being developed to potentially build an additional conjoined reservoir to better supply all 600 residents of the village.

• Date Taken: 04.12.2008
• Date Posted: 04.12.2008 14:58
• Story ID: 18380
• Location: IQ