Critical Assessment of Environmental Quality of Baghdad, Iraq

Before the Gulf War, the population of Iraq enjoyed a relatively high level of water supply and sanitation services. The sector operated efficiently, utilizing then-current technologies. Since, the water supply and sanitation sector has experienced a steady but devastating decline. Aging infrastructure, poorly maintained equipment, leaking water and sewer networks, and low technical capacity and morale are some of the key problems of the sector. The lack of funding led to insufficient imports, lack of maintenance, and curtailment of needed expansion. These services were surpassed by other national priorities, which resulted in a serious degradation of the quality and extent of services delivered. Diseases associated with poor sanitation, unsafe water, and unhygienic practices had increased to alarming rates. For the purpose of this study, samples were collected from eight stations along the Tigris River. The major sources of data are the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Water Resources. Various statistical techniques, for example, student's t-test, Kendall's test, trend test, ANOVA test, are used to determine the water quality of the Tigris River. The cities lying in the outskirts of Baghdad are found in poor condition in terms of water supply and sewerage. In central Baghdad, the water treatment plants are satisfying the standard conditions but the water supply network is in a poor condition. DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000501. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.