CPA South Press Release

Note: The media contact for releases from CPA Basrah Governorate Team Public Affairs is Jason Impey (Email: jason.impey@cpa-iq.org, Mobile: 00 965 917 6897) or Majed Abd Talip (majed.talip@cpa-iq.org)

New Project Starts to Help Clean Up Basra

A major new $100,000 project to help clear the rubbish from parts of Basra city began this week.

CPA and British Army personnel, working closely with officials from Basra’s Public Works Department, have organised the project which will employ local contractors to clear piles of rubbish from the city. Up to 100 people are expected to be employed by the project.

Under the scheme rubbish contractors will be paid to pick up rubbish and take it to a specially prepared rubbish collection site built south of the Shatt Al Basrah canal.

British Army Captain Ed Copland said: “Piles of rubbish are not only ugly they are also a health hazard and we are working with our colleagues in the Public Works Department to sweep large sections of the city clean of rubbish. We have employed firms of local contractors who will be responsible for collecting the rubbish from parts of the city and taking it to a special rubbish collection site outside the city. We will be collecting up to 40 truck loads of rubbish every day during the two week project and, although this is only a start, we will be working closely with the Public Works Department to try and improve the long-term collection of rubbish.”

The scheme will start in the south of the city and members of the public are urged to mark objects they do not want taken away with a clearly visible note.

In a second project, managed by the CPA, a $4,000 contract has been signed with local contractors to clear away rubbish blocking some of the city’s drainage canals.

Under the terms of the contract some 24 culverts in the city, that have been blocked by rubbish or silt, will be cleared so that pools of standing water can drain out of the city properly.

Basrah Benefits From CPA Funds

People across Basrah will soon benefit from the introduction of a new fund which has assigned a $1 million grant to local councils in the province.

Each Governorate in Iraq has been given the grant by the CPA to spend on important local projects such as helping improve street lighting, water supplies, educational facilities and cultural projects.

In Basrah the money will be distributed through the Provincial Council and the seven Qadas (municipal councils). Nahiyas (local councils) and community groups may submit projects to Qada Councils. Each council is responsible for electing Fund Committees which will choose and manage the projects.

The projects will be chosen in accordance with the following principles:

·         A fair balance of projects spread across the entire governorate and between urban and rural communities.

·         Projects shall benefit communities not individuals

·         A proportion of projects should promote youth and women’s issues

Projects funded by the grant must be finished by June 2004.

Fuel stations to get new lease of life

A multi-million dollar project to help improve the efficiency of petrol stations across Basra and its neighbouring provinces will start in early March.

The CPA-run project will see the phased refurbishment of dozens of state owned fuel stations at a cost of nearly $4.5 million dollars.  Extra fuel-pumps, improved power and better safety features will help improve the smooth distribution of fuel to motorists.

Over the coming months the project will see major refurbishment work on 40 fuel stations across the region, the first phase of the project  will include work on three of Basra’s busiest fuel stations.

A CPA spokesman said: “This is a major new project which will give these important fuel stations a new lease of life. We know that motorists often have to wait for long periods of time to get petrol and diesel from fuel stations because the equipment is old or damaged. This multi-million dollar programme will help improve the performance of many petrol stations across Basra and the south. By the summer this will lead to shorter queues and less frustrated motorists.”

Under the terms of the recently approved project petrol filling stations across the region will be refurbished and improved to make them more efficient and safer. Many were operating at very low levels of efficiency due to a lack of capital expenditure and damage by looters.

The project will be completed by the end of June this year. Project Managers will sign a contract for the work later this month with the first phase of the work starting soon afterwards.

Funding for this project is from the $127m Emergency Infrastructure Programme (EIP), a joint effort between CPA South, Multinational Division (South East) and Directorates in the four southern provinces of Iraq, part-funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).