Posted on 06/12/2009 6:39:56 PM PDT by SandRat
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, KIRKUK - Farmers in Riyadh, a small agricultural community in western Kirkuk, need water.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division recently employed 85 people around the town of Riyadh to clean up the canals that distribute water throughout the district.
Water released from the Dokan Dam, well across the border between the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq, flows down stream via the Lower Zab River to the Dibbis reservoir in western Kirkuk province. There it is released periodically based on seasonal agricultural needs and water availability, according to Lt. Col. Hugh McNeely, the deputy commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the lead for economics and governance for the military efforts in Kirkuk province.
Once the water is released, it flows through miles of earthen or concrete lined canals to provide citizens with drinking water and for use by farmers for irrigation. The system works and supplies water for vast areas of the province, but to work efficiently the canals must be kept free of debris and vegetation.
According to the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, Kirkuk province relies on rainfall for irrigation. Kirkuk is currently in its fourth year of a province-wide drought, according to U.S. Air Force weather data. Therefore, the land that is irrigated must be carefully regulated to maximize the availability of existing water.
"The Riyadh Canal project employees are diligent workers," explained Capt. Miguel Valdez, 3rd platoon leader of Company B, 1st Bn, 8th Cavalry and native of Houston. "Even in the hot weather, they are making good progress. It's good to know that these young men can bring home income for their families."
In the past week, more than 1,200 meters of canals have been cleaned, according to Valdez. Some statistics estimate up to 38-percent unemployment rates throughout Iraq. This project is scheduled to last 75 days, and Valdez says they are currently looking for other canal cleaning opportunities to offset the effects of the drought and ease the pressure of unemployment in the district.
"The high growing season is from November to May," said McNeely. "Winter wheat and barley are important staples for farmers here."
Valdez anticipates that they should be able to continue canal revitalization through at least the beginning of the November planting season.
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