Local officials warn of ‘catastrophic’ situation in Basra due to water pollution

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Head of the Basra Provincial Council has warned of a “catastrophic” situation in the province as the number of people poisoned due to water contamination is on the rise.

In a statement on Tuesday, Waleed Kabtan, the Acting Head of Basra Provincial Council, pointed to the bad quality of drinking water which has led to several cases of poisoning in the province.

“The Provincial Council has prepared a detailed report explaining the catastrophic situation that has deteriorated the health situation and threatened people’s lives with cases of poisoning being recorded due to the water quality,” Kabtan stated.

The official stressed that the demands the people of the oil-rich governorate have, which include preventing the increase of salinity rates and getting rid of contaminated water, should be addressed.

He warned that if the federal government did not tackle the complaints, the outcome would be disastrous for the province.

Meanwhile, Zahra Hamza, a member of the Basra Provincial Council, said in a statement that over 14,000 people were poised due to bad quality and increased salinity rates in water.

Hamza called on the government to deal with the situation immediately as the number of poisoned people increases.

On Tuesday, the Barzani Charity Foundation sent 20 trucks of bottled water to aid the people of Basra.

On Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health denied reports regarding the spread of cholera due to water contamination, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Saif al-Badr, said in a statement.

According to the spokesperson, the Ministry sent additional medical supplies as well as a team to review the reports and confirm that no outbreak of epidemics has taken place.

Iraqi bloggers and activists on social media launched campaigns to draw attention to the water pollution in Basra.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany