ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--Health authorities in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have closed down at least 100 unlicensed water desalination stations after an outbreak of diarrhea and other symptoms among local residents.
Zaki Abdulsadda, head of the department of inspections at Basra health told reporters in a press conference that the province had experienced a serious case of water contamination in recent days leading to diarrhea and severe stomachache among people.
"The province of Basra has suffered a number of cases of diarrhea due to water contamination and our inspections department has launched a campaign to combat this," Abdulasadda said.
At least 500 people have been hospitalized as a result of the water contamination.
"As a result a number of desalination stations have been shut down that weren't suitable to operate," he added.
"Apart from bad quality work they did not have any license to work either," he maintained.
Meanwhile, health officials advised local residents to strictly follow health instructions and boil their water before consumption.
This news comes just weeks after people in Basra and other southern cities took to the streets to protest lack of clean drinking water and other public services.
The representative of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the main preacher of Najaf Abdulmahdi al-Karbalai dedicated today’s Friday sermon to criticize the Iraqi government for failing to solve Basra's water problem.
"The human, patriotic and religious duties call on the authorities and relevant institutions to work together to put an end to the sufferings of the people of Basra," al-Karbalai said. "We also call on the government to find a lasting solution for this water contamination problem."
Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki tweeted laster on Friday that the situation needs to be elevated by relevant authorities in Baghdad, including the finance ministry.
"Service crisis in Basra has prolonged and been deepened, so I call on the members of 'Crisis Cell' to go to Basra province, follow up on their sufferings and find necessary solutions," wrote the former prime minister.
Maliki heads the powerful Dawa Party, but his State of Law Coalition performed poorly in the parliamentary election.
"I also call on the finance ministry to spend necessary allocations in order to solve water crisis immediately, improve electricity and accelerate in responding the demands of protesters through urgent practical solutions and service using best efforts and capabilities," he added.
There is currently no finance ministry. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has essentially taken control of the ministry and pulls the purse strings.
Abadi met with Iraqi President Fuad Masum in Baghdad on Friday.
"During the meeting, they discussed political, security and economic developments in the country, including service crisis in Basra," stated a readout from Masum's office.
They specifically "focused the developments regarding the acceleration of the formation of the biggest bloc."
Updated at 10:22 p.m.
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