Iraqi economic capital engulfed in trash, suffers from dilapidated electricity

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.

One of the key issues at this time of the year is a lack of electricity, despite the Iraqi government claiming that $81 billion has been spent to improve the state of electricity in the country since 2003.

"Basra must have 24-hour electricity. The weather in this city is quite different from other areas like Najaf or Karbala because in these areas the weather is a bit cooler and better. None of them is as hot as Basra is,” Hassan Jaaz, a local from the province told Rudaw’s Haydar Doski on Monday.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, 34 percent of people in Basra live below the poverty line.

No major projects have been undertaken in the city for years now and dozens of smaller ones have been halted due to mismanagement and corruption despite repeated demonstrations.