by Ranja Jamal
BASRA, Iraq — An NGO based in the Kurdistan Region, Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF), donated 1.2 million bottles of drinking water on Thursday to the people of Basra who face a shortage of clean drinking water and face a cholera outbreak.
"Our condition is very dire. First, there is no work. Second, thirst has killed us. Third, there is no one who has mercy on you. It is impossible to find someone to have mercy," said Khayrullah Sabaan, a resident from Basra said.
Due to the salinity of Shatt al-Arab’s water, fresh water rarely reaches houses.
Temperatures range from 45-50 Celsius recently. Additionally, the people fear facing a cholera breakout in next two months due to the dirty and salty water.
Locals blame the government for closing down 100 unlicensed water desalination stations, as well as Iran and Turkey for dams they have constructed.
"Our condition is very dire. First, there is no work. Second, thirst has killed us. Third, there is no one has mercy on you. It is impossible to find someone to have mercy," said another man from Basra, Khayrullah Sabaan.
Nearly 18,000 people have been sent to hospitals so far due to the dirty and salty water, resulting in diarrhea and vomiting.
Basra is Iraq’s richest province due to its oil reserves. Its population is the third largest, but the lack of basic services has made it one of the most ignored provinces.
"We will try to be a bridge between the people here and benefactors to decrease the suffering of these people. It is really a big catastrophe. We are ready to provide all we can do in terms of logistics," said BCF President Musa Ahmad.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with the province's crisis cell on Thursday in Baghdad. He said indifferent officials were “being held accountable.”
