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Younes Ajil turns on the tap in his home but nothing comes out: dozens of villages are without running water in drought-hit Iraq, surviving on sporadic tanker-truck deliveries and salty wells.

For everything from drinking to bathing and washing dishes and clothes, Ajil and his eight children wait at their home in Al-Aghawat for trucked-in water from the Diwaniyah provincial authorities once or twice a week.

In burning summer temperatures that at times approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), he said he hasn't bathed for four days.

"Even if there were daily deliveries, there would not be enough" water, the 42-year-old said.

Iraq is known in Arabic as the Land of the Two Rivers, but it has seen water levels on the once mighty Tigris and Euphrates plummet.

The Euphrates, which passes through Diwaniyah province, has visibly contracted in recent months, with some of the river's weaker branches drying up.

Governor Zouheir al-Shaalan said "around a third" of his province has problems accessing water, with more than 75 villages affected.

Ajil has dug a well, but the water is salty.

"We mix that with the water from the trucks and make do," he told AFP.

- Climate migration -

Local children cry out and run towards an orange water truck as it drives up the dirt road in their village.

One person fills a tall white tank, climbing on top of it to hold the truck's hose as water gushes out, while others wait to fill smaller tanks or even cooking pots.

Children splash gleefully in a rusting old fridge that has been laid on the ground as a cramped, makeshift tub.

The UN classifies Iraq as the world's fifth most vulnerable country to climate change.

Authorities blame drought for the current water shortages, but also dams built upstream on some rivers and tributaries in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.

Ajil shares his house with his brother, Mohammed.

Like most of their neighbours, they used to make a living from farming.

But over the past two years, the drought has brought local agriculture to its knees, so they have been selling their sheep to survive.

There are around 50 houses in the village, Ajil said, but only 10 families remain.

"The rest have left," he said. "If there is no water, there is no more life."

A report published this month by the International Organization for Migration in Iraq said that "climate migration is already a reality" in the country.

More than 3,300 families across 10 provinces in the country's centre and south were displaced due to "climate factors" as of March this year, the report said, blaming water scarcity, high salinity and poor water quality.

- 'Farming is our lives' -

Hassan Naim, who manages Diwaniyah's water resources, said around 20 treatment plants were at a standstill.

Before, "some rivers ran dry, but only for a matter of days", he said.

The present crisis has been going on for more than two months.

Naim acknowledged that authorities were distributing a "very low" amount of water compared to what was needed, but cautioned against using high-salinity well-water.

Diwaniyah Governor Shaalan said that to end the shortages, the province needed to receive double the current water flows of 85-90 cubic metres (3,000-3,200 cubic feet) per second along the Euphrates.

"Diwaniyah has no border crossings, oilfields, religious sanctuaries or tourism" to generate income, he said, urging authorities in Baghdad to exclude the province from the federal government's water rationing plan.

"Farming is our lives," he said.

Hundreds of angry Diwaniyah residents have twice taken to the streets to protest the situation.

Al-Aghawat resident Razzak Issa believes a deal with Turkey, the source of the Euphrates, is needed to increase water supplies.

"Yes, we can ration usage, but it's hot. How am I supposed to ration? I don't bathe? I don't wash my clothes? I don't bathe my children? It's impossible," he said.

He too mixes salty water from his well with the trucked-in water from the authorities.

"Where can we go?" he said. "Everywhere in Iraq is "torture".

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Boiling heat and no water: taps run dry in southern Iraq - Al-Monitor

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In order to better define the magnitude and geographic prevalence of issues pertaining to environmental degradation, climate-induced migration, economic insecurity, developmental neglect, tribal conflict, criminal and political violence, and civic mistrust and unrest in southern Iraq, IOM and Social Inquiry designed this profiling of Basra, Thi-Qar, and Missan governorates to serve as go-to sources of evidence to shape further in-depth research, analysis, and advocacy on specific issues, geographical areas, and/or population groups and guide the design, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions and policies to best meet the needs of people in these fragile environments.

The specifically designed indicators framework for this profiling focuses on a breadth of topics including demographics, housing, access to services, socio-economic situation, agriculture, migration, wellbeing, governance, security, and social cohesion and divided into three levels: household characteristics, individual perceptions and attitudes, and roster of household members.

A total of 3,904 surveys were collected across all 18 districts in these three governorates between December 2021 and January 2022. This sample size guarantees the standard 5% margin of error for data for each governorate and an 8% margin of error at district level. In addition, for each district, the sampling was also stratified by urbanicity and gender, thus generating a representative sample for urban and rural areas as well as for male and female respondents that can be analyzed at different levels of disaggregation.

The profiling findings presented herein serve as an updated baseline of dynamics in Basra, Thi-Qar, and Missan governorates delineating the scale and scope of issues that span the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in a setting that while not emerging from conflict per se is mired in significant violence, neglect, poverty, and inequality. While the analysis shows variation in prominence and impact of different indicators by governorate and location type, by far, the starkest difference in outcomes relates most to age.

Specifically, the youngest populations already or will grow to bear the brunt of this increasingly unstable and insecure environment and uncertain future if drastic changes to the status quo are not enacted and soon.Some key overarching findings emerge from the analysis that may serve as guideposts in developing, implementing, and monitoring coherent interventions and strategies to address this fragility and in seeking to identify where more nuance and detail from further research and analysis is needed for such purposes.

THESE TAKEAWAYS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

The existence of weak and unequal public service provision, with dissatisfaction particularly high in Thi-Qar Governorate overall and most pronounced in rural areas across governorates.

The presence of extended relative poverty overall, concentrated among non-educated, social support reliant, female-headed, and rural households and within Faw, Zubair, and Basra districts in Basra Governorate,Chibaysh district in Thi-Qar Governorate, and Qalat Saleh and Kahlaa districts in Missan Governorate.

Rapid urbanization and population growth is posing a challenge to formal land rights as almost half of residents experience some form of housing, land, and property informality with those in irregular housing either building on agricultural land or settling on public land without official permission to do so.

The role of agriculture is diminishing in rural livelihoods due to environmental degradation, namely lack of water supply and related yield loss or livestock deaths, with less than half of rural households engaging in farming, livestock, or fishing for revenue and even fewer whose sole income source comes from these activities.

There is very localized (and contained) migration among urban populations, primarily related to a lack of good living conditions in place of origin; unemployment; and securing a new job in the destination location prior to moving there. The prospect of migration nevertheless shapes public consciousness as depopulation is cited as a main social concern among rural residents while a sizeable proportion of residents overall, and the young in particular, express a preference to move from their current location to somewhere else in the governorate at some point in the future.

New and looming unemployment, especially among the young, is stemming from a weak private sector that does not offer growth, a diminished agricultural sector, and a public sector unable to absorb the growing numbers entering the labor market as it previously had. This leaves those youth who are working less well paid and in less steady employment than their older counterparts, despite being just as or more educated overall. The situation is especially acute among young women who are barely present in the workforce even though they are completing higher levels of education and who face significantly higher likelihood of unemployment if they do enter the labor market.

A safe daily life exists within a violent environment that is marked by a high visibility of firearms among the civilian population, so-called tribal conflicts pertaining to social disputes and increasingly political ones as various tribes, security actors, political parties, and criminal networks overlap and compete for power, and relatedly, an emerging drug trade. In this context, substance abuse and addiction are criminalized rather than treated as a growing public health concern.

The priority grievances people want to see resolved are structural in nature and encourage young men to publicly express their views, and reportedly call for systemic rather than individual solutions to resolve, though a non-negligible proportion believe there is no way to resolve grievances related to corruption and behavior of local political parties. Grievances pertain to state neglect, lack of opportunities, and corruption overall while young men also cite a lack of justice, behavior of political parties, and targeting after 2019 as issues they are most upset about as well. Furthermore, while public 1 Iraq Central Statistics Office and World Bank, Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey (2012). expression of grievances is relatively high among young men, confidence in electoral processes is exceedingly low across all population groups.

The overall social environment is characterized by low institutional trust in formal and customary actors, where even the top-rated among them, religious leaders, tribal leaders, and security forces, generate only moderate support; low inter-personal trust in others in the community; and high levels of marginalization felt as citizens, particularly by the state, indicating an eroding social cohesion. Once again, a generational divide emerges where young men and women tend to exhibit a greater tendency toward mistrust of others in the community than their older counterparts. Specific gender differences are also seen in that women have significantly less trust in religious leaders, tribal leaders, and security forces than men and a relatively substantial proportion of women also report feeling marginalized as citizens by the rest of society as well as by the state.

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A Climate of Fragility: Household Profiling in the South of Iraq: Basra, Thi-Qar and Missan - Iraq - ReliefWeb

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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) -- A retired Metro East Army veteran is grateful for a $280 billion measure passed by Congress this week aimed at expanding healthcare and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances on deployment.

The Senate voted Tuesday night to pass the bipartisan legislation. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill within the next week.

The final vote was 86-11. Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt initially voted no, then reversed course this week.

A spokesperson for Senator Hawley released the following statement:

Senator Hawley supports the PACT Act and voted for final passage of the legislation both times it came before the Senate, first in June and again this past week. Senator Hawley supported additional time for bipartisan negotiations, and is pleased that a strong bill to deliver health care for veterans ultimately got across the finish line. He will continue to advocate for our nations veterans in the Senate.

The bill is officially referred to as the Honoring our PACT Act, and was approved by the House in July. It could impact coverage of nearly 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances.

(Ret.) SSG. Dale Francis lives in Troy, Illinois, and spent 20 years in the Army. His career was coming to an end shortly before September 11, 2001, when he decided he wasnt done serving.

Im glad I went, I really am, it was a good mission, at least to begin with, he said.

He deployed to Kuwait in early 2003, before entering into Iraq about a month later. He and his soldiers headed for what would become Camp Victory in south Baghdad.

It was on the grounds of one of Saddam Husseins palaces surrounded by water, he said. We brought tents with us, set up a mess hall but there were no bathrooms.

As a result, makeshift outhouses were created consisting of wooden stalls. Underneath sat a oil barrel that had been cut in half. Francis said every morning, he oversaw a group of soldiers responsible for removing the barrels and burning the contents with diesel or gasoline.

They had to stand there and stir that horrible mix until it all burned down, he said.

Francis said classified documents, plastic bottles and medical waste was all burned across camps. When he returned home a year later, it wasnt long before he developed a nagging cough.

I went to a civilian ear, nose and throat specialist and he took one look up in my sinuses and said, oh my, where did all of this come from?

He then went to the VA, where a chest x-ray was clear. Francis said that didnt surprise him, as the majority of damage was done to his sinuses. He was prescribed anti-histamines and a rescue inhaler.

Theyre trying to do something about this, but this is something new for them, he said.

Hes hopeful the passage of the PACT Act will help fellow veterans get the healthcare and benefits they deserve, years after being exposed to toxic fumes.

We didnt have any masks or anything to protect us, so, we burned it and breathed it, he said.

Before the legislation, veterans were forced to prove their illnesses were connected to the exposure on deployment. Francis said it can be difficult to establish a paper trail early on.

When youre in Iraq somewhere or out in the desert in Kuwait theres no army clinic, theres no where to go on sick call so theres nothing in your medical records that says you had this problem over there, he said.

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth voted in favor of the legislation.

A spokesperson for Senator Durbin sent News 4 a statement that reads in part:

When Americans sign up to serve our country in the military, we promise that we will not leave them behind. The Senate honored our veterans service today with the passage of the PACT Act, which will give new hope to veterans suffering from the effects of toxic exposure during their time on the battlefield. For more than 3.5 million veterans, this vote will mean a chance at a healthier life. I look forward to seeing President Biden swiftly sign the PACT Act into law.

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Metro East veteran exposed to burn pits in Iraq grateful for passage of PACT Act - WSIL TV

Reston, Va., Aug. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity International, a leading provider of process and technology-based medical, engineering, and mission services and solutions to government and commercial clients, today announced it will provide base operations support, base life support, and security services in the support of the Iraq F-16 program. The work will be performed under a $127M contract action awarded by the U.S. Air Force.

Formally awarded to Sallyport Global Holdings, an Acuity company, the contract work will be carried out through Jan. 30, 2023, at the Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base in Iraq. "Acuity has a long history of supporting our armed forces, including the U.S. Air Force, overseas and we look forward to continuing our important work providing essential services and support to the Iraqi Air Force F-16 program," said Tony Corbi, CEO of Acuity International.

This contract resulted from a sole-source acquisition and involves Foreign Military Sales to Iraq. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting Activity (FA8630-22-C-6006).

About Acuity International

Acuity International is a leading provider of process and technology-based medical, engineering, and mission services and solutions to government and commercial clients. As experts in engineering and consulting, software solutions, medical care, occupational health, global mission, environmental remediation, secure and complex construction management services, all augmented by deep expertise in cybersecurity and cloud solutions, Acuity International enables critical missions for its global customers with the latest technology and repeatable processes. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the company has 3,300+ employees in more than 30 countries. For more information, visit:https://acuityinternational.com/.

Contact:

Lisa Throckmorton

703-287-7803

acuity@req.co

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Acuity International Awarded U.S. Air Force Contract to Support Iraq F-16 Base Operations - Benzinga

David Kay, a weapons expert who famously led an inspection team into Iraq in 2003 to search for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and faced the ire of the Bush administration after he reported he did not find any nuclear arms or other WMDs, died on Aug. 13 at 82.

Kay died in Ocean View, Del., and the cause was cancer, according to an obituary written by his loved ones. The Washington Post first reported the news.

Before he traveled to Iraq in 2003, Kay served as a chief weapons inspector for the United Nations (U.N.) Special Commission from 1991 to 1992 and as an agent with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Kay led multiple expeditions into Iraq after the Persian Gulf War ended in 1991. He was tasked with determining if the Middle Eastern country was developing WMDs in violation of a U.N. agreement.

The weapons inspector found evidence of uranium enrichment processes, which are used to develop nuclear weapons, located a major assembly plant for the creation of nuclear arms and seized key documents about the Iraqi weapons program.

In one famous incident, during a sweep of Iraq in the 1990s, Kay was stuck in a parking lot for four days as a hostage after seizing documents from a building in Baghdad. Iraqi forces would not let him and his team walk out of the parking lot with the documents in hand.

In a 1999 interview with PBS Frontline, Kay recalled how he tried to make the Iraqis more uncomfortable than he was.

It was dangerous, from our point of view, for us, but you forget, it was also dangerous for the Iraqis. Here they had a group of 43 inspectors stuck in a parking lot, not letting them go, Kay said. We kept trying to emphasize to them that they didnt know how, and that it could be dangerous for them.

The inspection team was eventually released after it used a satellite phone to communicate with the outside world, including media outlets such as CNN. The Iraqi soldiers grew concerned that military action could take place if they did not let the team go.

Kay told PBS that his work in Iraq in the 90s was a huge milestone in holding nations accountable for violating peace accords.

I think we were able toaccomplishsomething that, even in retrospect, Im still amazed at, he said. We were able to uncover a clandestine weapons program.

But Kay is best known as the man who led a team to Iraq in 2003 to search for nuclear weapons and the development of WMDs and finding no evidence of such activity.

The Bush administration had claimed ahead of its March 2003 invasion of Iraq that then-leader Saddam Hussein had violated the post-Gulf War U.N. agreement by developing nuclear weapons and other WMDs. In June 2003, Bush tasked the CIA with finding hard evidence of weapons in the country.

Given his experience, the CIA appointed Kay as the head of a 1,400-member task force known as the Iraq Survey Group. In January 2004, Kay submitted a report that determined Iraq did not have any such weapons in the country.

His findings rankled the CIA and the White House and spurred congressional investigations into U.S. intelligence prior to the Bush administrations invasion.

In a 2011 interview with NPR, shortly after the U.S. announced it would pull troops out of Iraq for the first time since the 2001 invasion, Kay reflected on his controversial role in the war.

What I miss most are the friendships that were shattered by that; just had staked too much of their career on there being weapons of mass destruction, he said. And not only didnt we find them, we found they didnt exist prior to the war.

Kay was born in Houston. He graduated from the University of Texas and earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

He served with the Department of State and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in addition to his service as a weapons expert.

Kay also taught at universities and was a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He won anIAEA Distinguished Service Award and a commendation medal from the secretary of State.

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David Kay, inspector who did not find nuclear weapons in Iraq, dies at 82 - The Hill