Aid organizations pour
millions into Falluja reconstruction
By Mohammed
Al-Yasseri
Azzaman,
April 29, 2005
With the dust of war ostensibly settled down, aid
organizations are rushing to reconstruct the devastated city of
The Ministry
of Public Works, charged with the reconstruction of the war-torn city, says it
has received $28 million from an international aid group which it declined to
identify.
A source
at the ministry, refusing to be named, said the government has resumed activities
in the city which
“Work is
underway inside the city and many government departments have already began
offering services,” the source said.
The money
from the unspecified non-governmental organization will be used in the building
of a modern sewage system for Falluja, the official added.
The city
still looks like a war zone with hundreds of houses destroyed, and amenities
like pure water and electricity still scarce.
But life is
slowly returning to the city and the official said he believed more than half
of the nearly 350,000 inhabitants who had fled the city have now returned.
The
official said several aid organizations were involved in furnishing the city
with public amenities.
“The
ministry is exerting utmost efforts to persuade non-governmental organization
to help in the reconstruction of Falluja,” he said.
He said
three contracts, each worth $100,000, have been granted to revamp pure water
network in three major districts in the city.
Falluja
had eight pumping stations but most were damaged during the nearly month-long
ferocious fighting.
The
stations are being rehabilitated and work is expected to finish by end of May, the
officials said.
Currently,
most of the citizens in the city rely on tankers for their drinking water.
“The size
of work to be done to bring the city back to its feet is massive,” he said.
More than
six months after military operations were officially declared over, the
ministry has not been able to remove debris from streets, the official said.
The
government has earmarked $150 million for Falluja while needs are estimated at
more than $1 billion.
The
inhabitants are furious, accusing US troops and Iraqi authorities of not
honoring pledges to reconstruct their city once fighting is over.
They say
both parties are not serious to put an end to their suffering.
The
inhabitants are entitled to compensation for the loss of property, but the they say the money given to them does cover a fraction
of the damage.
