New road creates path to better life for area residents

Photo By Master Sgt. Larry Carpenter | An Iraqi Army soldier shovels dirt across a section of bridge installed by engineers from the 561st Engineering Company, 5th Engineering Battalion in the Uzaym River Valley Oct. 8. The bridges were set in place to convert a former4ly impassible section of road connecting Samarra and corresponding MSR Tampa to Motibiju, Mubarak village, Abu Isis and Abu Taha into a major travel route for the local population. IA soldier provided security for the team and also helped out in the installation whenever possible.  

BALAD, IRAQ

10.31.2008

Story by Tech. Sgt. Larry Carpenter 

Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula

By Tech. Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr.
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula

BALAD, Iraq – To underscore the commitment the government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces have made to the people of Iraq, 4th Iraqi army division soldiers supported the 561st Engineering Company and U.S. Forces to make a previously impassable road serviceable.

Although making the road passable was beneficial, its creation of a path to a more secure future may be more significant.

This project consisted of installing a culvert and bridges over canals and ravines in the Uzaym River Valley. Completion of the work led to the ability to travel on the road, which connects Samarra and corresponding routes northeast of Baghdad.

"Opening the road allows GoI access to the population to provide government services," said a U.S. Captain.

This project is a step closer to meeting part of the Iraqi security forces mission to establish regional security and stability.

"By assisting with this work in the URV, I am serving Iraq, I am serving the Iraqi people," said an Iraqi army scout.

Iraqis in rural areas are now better able to meet basic needs, such as obtaining fresh drinking water and accessing emergency services.

"The priorities of the people in this area – just like all of Iraq – are electricity, water, hospitals, schools and stores," said the Iraqi army scout. "Opening this road has returned the hope of reaching these priorities; it's a great thing."

This project ultimately laid the groundwork for residents of this region to have better access to drinking water, government services and economic growth while improving security.

Obtaining safe water for families to drink and to provide to livestock is an ongoing challenge in the URV region. Attempts to drill for potable water were squelched after geological reports showed high-salt content in the reservoir and any prospective location for digging wells. Having this road reconstructed provides other options.

"Because of the salinity of the soil, it takes a number of years for the water to filter the salt out from the beds of the Hamrin reservoir and earthen canals," said the captain. To counter this problem, the GoI plans to assist organization of village co-ops, and arrange for the Iraqi army to distribute purification tablets to help make the river water potable and reduce health risks. These improvements are intended to help make citizens' commute to get water faster.
According to Iraqi security forces, many of the local residents told them they must travel from 20 to 80 kilometers to the Tigris River to get potable water. The completion of this project has reduced that commute time while also improving the safety and security of the route.

Benefits of the project also help extend access to several government services, including the provision of teachers. Teachers are returning to volunteer to work at schools in the valley. The more secure, better accessible route increases the number of teachers willing to commute to these rural areas. This is significant in some areas, like the village of Motibiju, which has gone without teachers for their 12-room schoolhouse for more than two years.

This road also provides a means for villagers to make some of their economical aspirations a reality by giving them better access to neighboring communities. The prevalence of farmers in this region makes its economic development dependent on the ability for farmers to sell goods in other markets. Now farmers can take advantage of this improved road as a means to drive to other areas more directly and safely.

"[The road] will allow farmers with their large trucks to get their crops from their villages to the markets in Samarra, Balad and Tikrit," said the captain. "This will have a huge economic impact come the next harvest season."

As the GoI continues to make efforts to help the rural areas of the URV, the road's creation of a path to a better life is a step closer to becoming reality for many Iraqis. Having a basic need met, providing education for youth and having a hope for the economic development of the region is a new beginning for many.

"There are other places suffering and they see what was done in the Uzaym region and want the GoI to assist them as well," said the Iraqi army scout.

"There was no hope before, but projects like this return hope and make the Iraqi people feel the new GoI is more powerful in its mission to make Iraqi people's lives better," said the Iraqi army scout. "It is now safer because people can move around easier – there are more people traveling between villages, where before you did not see this."

• Date Taken: 10.31.2008
• Date Posted: 10.31.2008 21:59
• Story ID: 25791
• Location: BALAD, IQ