World Bank funds fight against Baghdad water woes

The Iraqi capital's decrepit water network will be overhauled under a $210 million World Bank project aimed at tackling chronic supply shortages and outbreaks of disease. Five million people are expected to benefit from the work, which includes steps to stop leaking sewer pipes contaminating Baghdad's water supply, the Bank said in a statement Wednesday.
A 135,000 cubic metre reservoir will help the city cope with climate-induced droughts. Sewerage pumping stations will be modernised to reduce the health risks of untreated wastewater discharged into the Tigris river, and about 130 kilometres of the water distribution network will be replaced.