Posted on 03/30/2003 3:32:36 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
KUWAIT CITY -- A pipe linking Kuwait's water supply to southern Iraq will deliver 2.7 million litres of water per day, a British spokesman for humanitarian operations said here on Sunday.
British Maj-General Albert Whitley, the US-led coalition's deputy commander of post hostility operations, said: 'Tomorrow, a pipe goes across from the Kuwaiti water supply system' to the southern port city of Umm Qasr, 'and that will deliver something in the order of 2.7 million litres a day.'
The British military, together with a number of international aid organisations, will provide tankers to deliver water from the pipe's outlet 'to those who need it'.
'We, in conjunction with one of those organisations have already restored the water supply to Basra but not to the outlying towns and nor yet are we guaranteeing to get water to the 270,000 people who, even before the war, either had to collect water or have water delivered by tanker. But that water itself is not clean,' he said.
Clean, drinkable and potable water 'is the most significant requirement in southern Iraq. That is something the Iraqis do not have at the moment,' he stressed
He also warned that civilians had less than two months' supply of food and water, contrary to claims by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that he had provided six months of food.
'We believe, as indeed most people like the World Food Programme, that perhaps most people have got between 30 and 60 days of food. I'm not convinced that people have got that degree of water.
'We have very clear evidence of people being instructed or encouraged to dig wells in Baghdad, but that water they get out of the wells is undrinkable or at least unsafe.' he said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.