ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s southern, oil-rich Basra province is threatening to sue for autonomy if Baghdad continues to extract from its vast oil resources while ignoring calls for better basic services, such as water and electricity. "Many times we raised what the people of Basra are demanding with the Iraqi government, warning we will seek other alternatives if they fail to heed our requests,” said Basma Salmi, member of the Basra Provincial Council. ”We will unite our voice with the voice of the residents of Basra to form the Basra Region,” Salmi told Rudaw. Salmi explained that Basra needs an abundance of services, despite the fact that "from Basra, Iraq produces one million barrels of oil per day." Basra has a strong economic infrastructure, but the government has neglected several projects, including water projects. Residents also complain that the water is growing saltier by the day, as water purification plants remain a target in the complex Iraqi war. Early last year, Basra had called on Baghdad for recognition as a semi-autonomous region, such as the Kurdistan region in the north, but the request was rejected, said Mohammad Osman, a member of provincial committee that works wih the Iraqi cabinet. Basra province , and its important capital of the same name, are located on the Shatt al-Arab waterway in southern Iraq, between Kuwait and Iran. The province has en estimated population of some 2.5 million.
