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BASRA, Iraq – Home to Iraq’s richest oil wells, Basra should have wealth and development to rival the Emirates. Instead, the southern province is one of Iraq’s most impoverished – its residents deprived of even the most basic services and infrastructure.
In al-Qibla, one of the city’s neglected districts, residents live among heaps of trash. Many neighborhoods like this one lack clean drinking water, schools, clinics and even paved roads.
Khalaf Jadir has lived here in his 50 square meter home for 70 years. Now retired, he served 26 years in the Iraqi army.
“No one is coming to see the situation of the people here. Not a single official from inside or outside Basra has come to check up on our miserable situation. We do not know what to do,” Jadir told Rudaw.
Jasin Mawlood, who lives in the Misaq district said: “There are no services of any kind. There are no streets, no sewage, no drinking water.”
“Schools are flooded with water during the winter. We are suffering. The state does not extend any services. There have not been any service projects since 2004,” he added.
More than 46 percent of Basra’s population lives below the poverty line, despite its 2019 budget surpassing 600 billion dinars ($500 million).
The scale of official neglect and corruption stokes regular bouts of unrest, as young Baswaris take to the streets to demand reform.
“We raised our voices and complained against them [authorities], but to no avail,” Jadir said. “We lost plenty of young people [during protests].”
They say the protests will continue until their demands are met.
“We are waging protests because there are no jobs, no services, and many other things,” said Akram Qebil, who is taking part in the mass protests that have gripped Iraq’s southern and central cities since October.
“We are the wealthiest province of Iraq. We are supposed to be the best province in terms of services. If you walk around, you can see the state of the streets, the buildings and the people. Their living conditions do not match the province’s income.”
With additional reporting by Hiwa Hussamadin
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