US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2170

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID/W 
STATE PLEASE REPEAT TO IO COLLECTIVE 
STATE FOR PRM/ANE, EUR/SE, NEA/NGA, IO AND SA/PAB 
NSC FOR EABRAMS, SMCCORMICK, STAHIR-KHELI, JDWORKEN 
USAID FOR USAID/A, DCHA/AA, DCHA/RMT, DCHA/FFP 
USAID FOR DCHA/OTI, DCHA/DG, ANE/AA 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA:WGARVELINK, BMCCONNELL, KFARNSWORTH 
USAID FOR ANE/AA:WCHAMBERLIN 
ROME FOR FODAG 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH 
ANKARA FOR AMB WRPEARSON, ECON AJSIROTIC AND DART 
AMMAN FOR USAID AND DART 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, IZ, WFP 
SUBJECT:  DART WESTERN IRAQ UPDATE 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  DART Field Team West attended one of the largest 
governorate support team meetings in Al Hillah, with nearly 
30 civil-military personnel, 24 local representatives, and 
ORHA staff participating.  The DART also met with CARE 
Baghdad representatives to discuss potential emergency water 
interventions in Babil and Diyala governorates, and with the 
head of the Al Hillah branch of the Iraqi Red Crescent 
Society.  The DART learned that the Coalition planned to 
vacate a Ministry of Trade food commodities warehouse in Al 
Hillah on 18 May.  End Summary. 
 
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GOVERNORATE SUPPORT TEAM MEETING 
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2.  During the Governorate Support Team meeting, sectoral 
updates were provided by the governor and city department 
heads from water, sewage, communications, oil, LPG, banking, 
insurance, health, drug distribution, and irrigation. 
Representatives from the local newspaper, a human rights 
organization, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), and the 
Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) 
participated in the meeting. 
 
3.  Some notable issues raised during the meeting included: 
 
--  Power:  Full electricity will be restored to Al Hillah 
in a few days as local officials work with Coalition forces 
to remedy a final problem, according to the director of Al 
Hillah power distribution. 
 
--  Water: the town's pumping generators are problematic. 
Chlorine is in short supply. 
 
--  Banks: local merchants are valuing 10,000 dinar notes at 
8,000 because of a counterfeit money scare, and because 
smaller bills are scarce.  ORHA said it was working with the 
finance minister to resolve this issue.  In Al Hillah, the 
U.S. dollar's value has plummeted to 750 dinars. 
 
--  Food: Coalition forces will end their occupation of Al 
Hillah's food warehouse tomorrow, much to the relief of 
local officials.  (Note:  The DART met with Coalition forces 
camped at the MOT food commodity warehouse in Al Hillah. 
These troops plan to relocate and completely vacate the 
warehouse property by 18 May.  End Note.) 
 
--  Health: There is a shortage of drugs, and a need for 
fuel and security in hospitals. 
 
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CARE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS 
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4.  CARE informed the DART that it intends to submit 
implementation plans for four emergency water interventions, 
the largest one in Al Hillah, and three others in Diyala 
Governorate.  CARE said five of six water pumps at the 
largest water-treatment system (WTS) in Al Hillah are 
broken, and the sixth is on the verge of failure, 
jeopardizing water availability for 650,000 people.  CARE 
proposes to help the city water department install three 
pumps and to repair two others.  With CARE's assistance, the 
work could be done in two weeks, and the threat alleviated. 
 
5.  In Diyala, CARE would like to submit an implementation 
plan to address the water treatment system in Khallis as 
well as the town's destroyed and looted sewage system.  In 
Muckadiya, CARE proposes to replace a blocked intake pipe. 
In Al Anbar Governorate, CARE has begun procuring supplies 
for its DART-approved water interventions in Ar Rutbah and 
Al Qa'im. 
 
6.  CARE expressed concern about an overburdened temporary 
health center in a poor section of Baghdad, but said it did 
not have immediate plans to submit a health implementation 
plan.  CARE has already distributed the 25,000 DART-provided 
blankets and will give away the 16,000 DART hygiene kits 
next week. 
 
7.  CARE emphasized the ongoing security challenges in 
Baghdad.  Three days ago, three people were shot dead near 
CARE's office, and a few days ago, a CARE guard was shot in 
the leg at the CARE warehouse by a would-be looter.  CARE 
lost two of its vehicles to armed carjackers last week and 
has since put all 20 of its vehicles on blocks to thwart 
their theft from CARE's warehouse. 
 
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MEETING WITH AL HILLAH IRAQI RED CRESCENT SOCIETY 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
8.  The DART met with the head of IRCS in Al Hillah, who has 
worked for the IRCS for 12 years.  He has 10 staff and over 
100 volunteers that continued work throughout the war.  Much 
of this work was possible because, prior to the war, IRCS 
stockpiled medicines, equipment, and food in a secret 
warehouse so that work would not be interrupted.  This 
warehouse was not looted since only a handful of individuals 
knew where it was located.  Presently, the IRCS in Al Hillah 
is distributing a small number of food packages to the needy 
in town.  This population is identified with the help of 
local mosques and a church in the city.  They had also been 
working on providing materials (medicines, medical 
equipment, etc.) to the local hospitals and on renovating 
some of the smaller clinics around Al Hillah.  IRCS listed 
sporadic electricity and water supply, poor sanitation, and 
food shortages as Al Hillah's major problems, similar to the 
problems mentioned to the DART by other city officials. 
Injuries from unexploded ordnance have been reported 
throughout the governorate and the IFRC has begun a poster 
campaign in order to address this problem.  When asked if 
there were any internally displaced persons in the area, 
IRCS reported that more than 20 houses were destroyed by 
Coalition forces.  The IRCS provided temporary quarters for 
these families but they refused assistance, choosing to 
continue to live in their destroyed homes or with family 
members. 
 
9.  IRCS explained that they had been unable to contact 
Baghdad or IRCS in other governorates by phone since the war 
began, but has driven to Baghdad a couple of times and 
claims that the IRCS is functional there (albeit in a 
limited capacity). 
 
 
JONES