CPA Iraq

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Irrigation Canals	km (estimate)
Total Irrigation Canals in Iraq	27,000
Canals in need of clearance May 2003	20,000
Canals cleared as of 27 Sept	14,500
Canals being cleared per week	500

Two Iraqi engineers are working in California with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a reservoir simulation model of the Tigris-Euphrates System. When they return in mid November, they will field test the model and train other Ministry Employees.

The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), formerly the Ministry of Irrigation, is the bulk water supplier for the nation. The Ministry’s 9 large dams, 18 major barrages, and 275 pump stations comprise one of the most complex water distribution systems in the world. Over 90 percent of the nation’s water is used to irrigate 3.25 million hectares of land throughout Iraq. Mechanical equipment, such as pump stations and back up generators, are 20 to 30 years old and poorly maintained. Fewer than 60 percent of the system’s 1,200 individual pumps operate. In addition, the water resources infrastructure in Iraq suffered damage after the war due to looting and vandalism,