From Rmj at Adventus:
Water-borne diseases are common in poor countries that have no sewage or clean-water systems, but Baghdad once had such things. Dr. Fathil al-Hadawi, of Iraq's Ministry of Health, says the pipes have been wrecked by years of neglect and war.
Hadawi says both water and sewer pipes are broken or cracked in many places, allowing untreated fecal matter to mingle with the tap water. He adds that chronic electricity outages in the city mean that water treatment and pumping stations often stand idle, so even polluted tap water isn't always available. NPR
As Rmj says, violence is down in Iraq, but life there is still not a bowl of cherries.
Dear Grandmere Mimi...thank you and bless you. Would it be okay to email you?
ReplyDeleteI think we Americans owe the Iraqis some help with these problems. Before there was war there was our long standing support of Saddam et al. We helped make the mess, we should help clean it up.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
jimB
Being Peace. of course. The address is below the photo.
ReplyDeleteJim, how many countries have we armed only to go back and fight them facing our own armaments? What we owe the Iraqis is beyond description. I pray we do not abandon them, as much as I pray that we get our military out of the business of occupying their country.
I heard this on NPR yesterday. It was hard to hear the babies crying in the background. Well, we destroyed a lot of their infrastructure the first time we went in there, and years of sanctions didn't help. If I were an Iraqi, I'd probably hate us.
ReplyDeleteYou may be interested in this article in today's Sydney paper on the plight of Christian minorities in Iraq since the US led invasion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/iraqi-minorities-long-wait-for-freedom/2008/07/15/1215887626474.html
Brian, I am so distressed by the plight of the small Christian communities in Iraq. They are ancient and, last I read, are now halved in number because, in addition to those who have been killed or kidnapped, many have fled to other countries. I'll read your link when I get a minute.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I read the very sad story. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDelete