Continued flooding causes displacement

Continuous rainfall over the past three days in the capital, Baghdad, as well as in Tikrit and Mosul in northern Iraq, has forced 600 people out of their homes, according to government officials. “We’ve received reports of nearly 400 displaced people in the suburbs of Baghdad due to strong rain in the past three days,” said Khalid Abdul Kader, a senior official in the Baghdad mayor’s office. “These families are taking refuge in their relatives’ homes or in an improvised camp near the suburb of al-Sadr.” In some areas on the outskirts of Baghdad, such as the Sadr and Bataween districts, water levels in local rivers have increased by 20 cm, causing the flooding of hundreds of homes. Tikrit and Mosul have been suffering under similar conditions. “We’ve been informed of serious flooding in these two cities and around 200 people displaced,” said Kader. “In Mosul, US forces have helped move families to safer areas, and in Tikrit, the Iraqi Army has improvised a camp for flood victims.” The Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has launched an emergency programme to give support to displaced families. “We’re going to check all those areas and prepare makeshift camps offering food, tents and blankets,” said IRCS spokeswoman Ferdous al-Abadi. “But more people might become displaced due to rising water.” Clean water and food supplies are also being provided in Tikrit and Mosul by the Iraqi Army and US-led forces. The government has said the situation could deteriorate if heavy rains continue, due mainly to the weak state of national infrastructure. The sewage system is cause for particular concern, as most sewage channels are leaking because of poor quality building materials. “There’s pressure on us to repair the sewage system, but little money has been allocated for this,” said Kader. “We expect that, under the new government, more money will be invested in this sector, especially in the suburbs of the capital, where more than 80 percent of the system is totally degraded.”