Untold Good News From Iraq -

Prior to Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime, Iraq was the second richest country in the Persian Gulf region. However, after 30 years of willful neglect and treasury-draining regional wars, Iraq’s once modern infrastructure lay in ruin.

For the past three years solid progress has been made to rebuild Iraq’s critical infrastructure. All of Iraq’s industrial sectors—oil, water, electrical power, education, agriculture, buildings and facilities, and security—have benefited from the United States’ investment in their economic revitalization and reconstruction. There have been setbacks along the way caused by corruption and terrorism, but the major problem for stabilizing public services in Iraq has been the decrepit state of the infrastructure that resulted from three decades of neglect by Saddam Hussein.

The oil industry is now producing above 2002 levels. Substantial investments have been made in the entire oil infrastructure system to help provide long-term stability, such as improvements to oil wells, pipelines, and oil-refinement facilities. U.S. assistance has significantly improved water and sewage services for Iraqis. In April 2003, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hit the ground, it was clear that many of the country’s water treatment plants were in serious disrepair and that many Iraqis received water that was contaminated or inadequately treated. Since that time, completed U.S projects have increased potable water availability to an estimated 4.2 million additional residents and an estimated 5.1 million additional people have access to sewage treatment. These numbers will continue to grow as more water treatment facilities become operational.

U.S. projects have added or restored some 2,700 Megawatts of electrical generation capacity to Iraq’s electrical grid. Peak electricity generation in Iraq is currently around 4,900 megawatts compared to an average of 4,300 in 2002. In the pre-war period, Baghdad received a greater share of electricity at the expense of the rest of the country. Power is more equitably distributed today, and on average Iraqis outside of Baghdad receive more hours of power than before the war. The residents around the country are receiving 12 to 14 hours of electricity, and those in and around Baghdad are receiving up to 8 hours of electrical power during the summer’s high demand period.

More significantly, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi schoolchildren are now attending new and refurbished schools while learning through a revamped curriculum. Hundreds of law enforcement and border police facilities have been built. The new Iraqi Army is also being trained in an equally new environment.

One of the key elements that enables Iraq to stand on its own is a strong and growing workforce. Since our arrival in 2003, there have been 30,000 new businesses created - many of these are small businesses and micro-enterprises. This is wonderful. The industry with the fastest job growth is the agricultural sector, particularly date palms and wheat, which have become Iraq’s largest export crops.

The leaders of the Iraq reconstruction effort are often asked by the media “Are we making a difference in the life of the average Iraqi?” Without a doubt the answer is yes, but the average Iraqi on the street still risks his life or his family’s well-being to say so. The proof is in their actions: Iraqi mothers and fathers are sending their children to new schools, they are enjoying clean water and better sanitation in the streets, they are demanding air conditioners and other appliances (making it difficult for power generation and distribution improvements to keep up). Iraqis are enjoying the widespread use of cell phones and can now call an ambulance or police car in many areas when they need emergency services. But most important, they have a government, democratically elected and beginning to act as a legislative body.

Another frequent question is how corruption and terrorism affect the rebuilding effort. Corruption was fed and bred throughout the Saddam era, resulting in a work and social climate that was rife with poor operating practices. This climate has begun to change as a result of the anti-corruption commissions, both in and out of their government, and the commission on public integrity.

In sum, the numbers of completed projects throughout Iraq - including large and complex oil, water, and electrical plants - has been truly staggering. More than 3,500 projects have been started; more than 2,800 of these have been completed and the remainder under construction.

This rebuilding program is an effort to build a foundation for freedom for the Iraqis. The original goal was not to rebuild their whole society, but rather to provide a fresh start for them to continue to build upon. The future is in their hands.

James Crum, P. E.
Director of the Iraq Project and Contracting Office / Washington, DC
ASA(ALT)
Department of the Army