Essential Services

The provision of all types of essential services has been affected by years of underinvestment by the national government, especially in the south; the effects of war, especially the Iran-Iraq War which caused extensive damage in Basrah province and in the city of Basra in particular, as well as the effects of sanctions. Improving sanitation, restoring power supplies and delivering medical supplies have been key priorities for the CPA, Coalition Forces and their Iraqi partners.

In the first six months after the end of the conflict, military and civilian personnel were heavily engaged in all essential services, working alongside Iraqi engineers and technicians by whose efforts the delivery of essential services to the Iraqi population had largely continued, albeit in reduced form.

In many cases, their work was to try to repair existing infrastructure simply in order for it to continue to operate. In the last quarter of 2003, this work began to extend to build redundancy into essential services, such as through the provision of back-up generators in oil refineries and hospitals, as well as continuing to repair existing infrastructure and beginning to expand the capacity of that infrastructure through new investment.

The first quarter of 2004 will see a continuation of extending the capacity of existing infrastructure, extending redundancy, and continuing the process of investment in new plant, as well as strategic planning for future developments to be decided upon, and undertaken, by the Iraqi authorities. In addition, long-withheld servicing and maintenance programmes will begin to be undertaken: while these may interrupt the supply of certain essential services, such as electricity, they will serve to strengthen the delivery of such services through the rest of 2004 and into 2005.

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