Focus on reconstruction in Fallujah

Reconstruction of Fallujah, the city which was the scene of fierce battles between US forces and insurgents between November 2004 and January 2005, has been slow according to local officials. Little progress has been made despite Washington allocating US $200 million for rehabilitation efforts and compensation for families. Nearly 80 percent of the population fled Fallujah, which is 60km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad and so far only half of them have returned, aid officials have said. Local people complain that there are still no basic facilities such as sewage systems, adequate electricity and water supplies and there are disputes over how much compensation has been distributed so far. About 70 percent of buildings, many of them houses, were destroyed during the conflict. The Ministry of Health (MoH) said there were 650 civilian deaths in a report issued in April. However, it has been suggested that the number could be as high as 1,300. US Coalition forces stated that more than 1,200 killed were insurgents. RECONSTRUCTION MOVES SLOWLY According to Bassel Mahmoud, director of Fallujah’s reconstruction project, less than $50 million of the $200 million for reconstruction had been released so far. He said although the main hospital had been repaired, only three schools out of 40 and four government buildings out of 20 had been rebuilt. Massive damage was caused by the conflict and repair work could take several years. “When we entered Fallujah we didn’t expect to find the city in such a terrible state. Basic services were destroyed and rubbish can be seen everywhere. We have intensified our efforts to repair essential places and we expect that by the end of this year, health care and education will be sufficient in Fallujah,” Mahmoud added. Power, water treatment and sewage systems were badly damaged in the city. Some districts are still dependant on water tankers as the only way to access clean water and most houses with electricity are connected to private generators. The official said more funds need to be released in order to accelerate reconstruction. Teachers, who are giving lessons inside tents on the outskirts of the city, said most schools in Fallujah are unsuitable for children to study in and that those some of those that remain intact are being used by US troops as military bases. “We cannot teach without essential materials and a minimum of comfort for our students. We have been giving lessons using old and small blackboards and paper and notebooks collected by the families,” Fadia al-Jumaili, a primary school teacher in Fallujah, told IRIN. Local contractors complained that tight security restrictions had delayed their work and their movement around Fallujah. CURRENT PROJECTS Three main reconstruction projects are underway at present, according to officials. The first is the repair of key infrastructure, such as sewage, water and electricity. The Ministry of Municipality and Works (MoMW) is carrying out a number of projects at a cost of $800,000, including the repair of eight petrol stations and the rebuilding of the administrative infrastructure of the city. The second project is the construction of a new general hospital in Fallujah, for which the MoH has allocated $40 million. A US-Iraqi committee for the city has been formed to supervise the establishment of health facilities in the municipality at a cost of about $6.2 million. This includes rehabilitating medical facilities and health centres in and around the city. The progamme started at the beginning of May. The third project is in the education sector where nearly $20 million has been allocated for school repairs. The Iraqi government plans to build one of the biggest centres for education in Fallujah. This scheme could take more than two years to complete. DISPUTE OVER COMPENSATION The Iraqi Central Committee for the Compensation of the People of Fallujah (CCCPF) told IRIN that 200 families have been given payments spread over eight months. Each person has received nearly $2,000 but residents complained that the amount was not enough to rebuild their lives and homes again. Bill Taylor, director of the US-Iraqi reconstruction management office, told IRIN that insecurity and attacks elsewhere in the country had caused a general delay in contractors work but insisted that reconstruction would not stop and families in Fallujah would soon start to feel a difference in their lives. Others argued that more funds were needed. Khalid Kubaissy, a senior official from the CCCPF, told IRIN that the $200 million was not enough to cover compensation and reconstruction costs. According to their evaluation, more than US $500 million was required for the total reconstruction of Fallujah. Kubaissy added that 30,000 houses were damaged in the battle and more than 5,000 had been totally destroyed. In addition, around 8,500 shops, 60 mosques and 20 government offices required massive repair work. “When they [US troops] decided to destroy Fallujah they were so fast but when you talk about rebuilding the city and paying for destruction they are very slow. We lost our house, personal things and traditions but no one cares about that and even in the media, Fallujah has been forgotten,” Abu Athir, a local resident, told IRIN standing next to the rubble where his home once stood. FAMILIES STILL DISPLACED Mazen Sallon, general secretary for the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said the 15 percent who had not returned to the city and were still camped on the outskirts should not be forgotten. He said although the IRCS had been supporting these families, their work had been diverted to the western town of al-Qaim after the US offensive there last week. In addition, local doctors fear that there could be an outbreak of disease in the summer caused by the open sewers and a lack of potable water in the camps populated by residents who have nowhere else to go. According to Sallon, the IRCS has acquired land inside Fallujah for the construction of a hospital which will cater for the health needs of people in the immediate and surrounding areas but that they now require more funds and final authorisation from the Iraqi government. ADDITIONAL DIFFICULTIES As well as the curfew, still in the place for more than 10 hours a day, shopkeepers and business people complained that security measures were affecting their income. Ibrahim Dawood, a shopkeeper in the city, told IRIN that he was stopped from bringing in supplies from the capital, because of heavy security and checkpoints at the entrance to the city. When he had sold all his stock he would have no choice but to shut down unless there was a drastic change in security. “You cannot image how awful the checking at the entrance of the city is. You are looked at and checked as if you are a criminal because you are bringing something in from outside the city,” Dawood added. Sheikh Khaled al-Jumaili, the newly elected head of Falujah’s city council, told IRIN that security measures were important to prevent the entrance of weapons in the city, at least for the coming months. "We want to keep the city clean from fighters. People here are tired of seeing their loved ones dying and for this reason we have to accept intensive security until it is 100 percent safe in Fallujah again. But the city is one of the best and safest places in Iraq nowadays,” al-Jumaili added.