Baghdad drowning in sewage: Iraqi official

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: AFP

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Baghdad is drowning in sewage, thirsty for water and largely powerless, an Iraqi official said on Sunday in a grim assessment of services in the capital five years after the US-led invasion.

One of three sewage treatment plants is out of commission, one is working at stuttering capacity while a pipe blockage in the third means sewage is forming a foul lake so large it can be seen "as a big black spot on Google Earth," said Tahseen Sheikhly, civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security plan.

Sheikhly told a news conference in the capital that water pipes, where they exist, are so old that it is not possible to pump water at a sufficient rate to meet demands -- leaving many neighbourhoods parched.

A sharp deficit of 3,000 megawatts of electricity adds to the woes of residents, who are forced to rely on neighborhood generators to light up their lives and heat their homes.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080203/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestservices

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Imagine if you lived in a city that had ten more years to go before it had 24 hour a day electrical service. It's difficult for most of us to fathom.