Photo By Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel | Residents of Airport Village and members of international media observe the village's...... read more read more
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - The Iraqi residents of Airport Village, located near Baghdad's International Airport, can now safely drink the water thanks to the completion of the Airport Village Water Tower and Pipeline project, which was commemorated at a 'turn on the valve" ceremony April 15.
The tower and pipeline were built by Al Fulq Ltd. Co., the firm awarded the contract for construction of the project, with the help of village resident workers and funded by the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid program.
Coalition Forces coordinated funding for the project at the request of the village leadership, said 1st Lt. Emily Siegert, civil military affairs officer, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Multi-National Division " Baghdad.
"The mayor (of the village) had approached the (Soldiers). They had negative water pressure, which allowed sewage to get into the drinking water," said Siegert.
"This is the biggest gift from the (Coalition) Forces to this village," said Esam Al Askar, managing director and chief executive officer, Al Fulq Ltd. Co. Al Askar is also a resident of the village. "People used to be very, very sick in the village. When the water pipes were rotten, sewage was leaking (into the water supply)."
The project replaced the old Airport Village water network with an 8-inch pipeline that improved the water pressure and water accessibility for the village. The new water tower, built using technology brought in from the United Arab Emirates, expands the ability of the village to have water during the shortage peak periods of the summer months and has a three to four day storage capacity, said Al Askar.
"We're really honored to do this and leave this here as a symbol of sacrifice. (Coalition) Forces sacrifice their lives here to help us," said Al Askar.
"It's the least we could offer this village. We wanted this project to be a source of daily bread," he said.
Approximately 60 of the village men worked on the project.
"It was a good opportunity for the unemployed in our village," said Al Askar.
"The villagers are very pleased with the project. They appreciate having fresh water," added the village's mayor, who requested that his name be withheld.
The project completes phase one of two planned water projects in the village. Phase two will replace the inner water network within Airport Village, allowing residents to connect their homes to the new internal water network, said Al Askar.
The current inner water network is outdated and corroded, leading to contaminated drinking water. The new system, when installed, will provide two 8-inch main pipelines with 4-inch branches from the recently completed mainline, explained Al Askar.
The village, built in the 1970s at the time the Baghdad International Airport was constructed, was originally "built to serve 400 people," he said. The village is currently home to approximately 2,500 residents, and many of the working men in the village are employed at Baghdad International Airport.
The project was started in July of 2005 by the 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry, Hawaii Army National Guard," said Maj. John Gentry, Victory Base Defense Operations Center Effects Coordinator and member of the 122nd Rear Operations Center, Georgia Army National Guard.
The Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, MND-B then assumed project management responsibility of the project in January, which was then transferred to the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, based out of Fort Sill, Okla.
Since the unit took over responsibility of the Victory Base Complex and the surrounding neighboring areas, it recommended five additional projects and has been approved for more than $580,000 of Commanders Emergency Response Program funds.
| Date Taken: | 04.24.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2006 12:15 |
| Story ID: | 6090 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 38 |
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