WASIT PROVINCE, Iraq - Local Iraqi boys watch as water flows freely from the Tigris River into an irrigation canal Nov. 14, 2010. The water is delivered through a pump station and feeds 1500 area farms. The Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team has overseen recent improvements to the station that included two new generators and several new pumps. US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Garrett Ralston

The Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team, escorted by members of Company H, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment held a meeting with local farmers in the Numaniyah area Sunday.

The farmers recently received new water pumps that pull water from a nearby river into a canal to irrigate local farmland. The meeting was an opportunity for PRT members and US Forces to see the pumps in action and also discuss future management of the pump station.

“The operation of this pumping station has been on and off since 2003,” said Armand Lanier, a PRT agricultural advisor from the United States Agency for International Development. “The station has pumped water through four antiquated pumps that have needed constant maintenance.”

In recent years the station has struggled to pump enough water to supply the 1500 area farms and was costly to keep up. With nobody officially responsible for the station it seemed it would remain out of service. Now with the new pumps and discussions developing between the farmers the station is on its way to effective production once again.

After the PRT assessment, funds were appropriated for two new heavy capacity generators to provide power for the pumps. The new pumps pull water horizontally from tubes that reach out further into the river allowing for greater pressure and more water. The canal now flows at the limit of it banks.

“The PRT plans to meet monthly with the farmers’ Water User Association,” said Lanier. “We want to teach them to be more water conscious which will increase production for them.”

The soldiers of Company H have an essential piece of the development of the area as well.

“Our responsibility is to enable the PRT by getting them out here and making sure they have a safe environment to operate in,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Hubacek, a platoon sergeant in Company H. “We also spend a lot of time with ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] and try to maintain positive relationships with them.”

Hubacek says it is important for USF to be engaged with these processes of Iraqi reconstruction.

“We really want to train the farmers to be better users of their water and agricultural resources,” said Lanier. “We want them to be effective on their own because that’s the aim of these projects.”

DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Garrett Ralston

Ms. Nisreen Abdul Raoof plays with an orphan at the Deep Strike farewell to the children of the Kut orphanage at the Rehanah Al-Haydaryah Family Park, June 26. Nisreen said they came up with the idea to have a farewell in the park so the American forces could say goodbye to the children. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson.

Children from the Kut orphanage were treated to an evening of games, gifts and entertainment at the Rehanah Al-Haydaryah Family Park by 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade, June 26.

“It was an idea to have an event before the American forces left that they could say goodbye to the Iraqi children; and it should be in an open area like the park,” said Ms. Nisreen Abdul Raoof, the director of the Kut orphanage.

Lt. Col. Timothy Bush, commander 2nd Bn., 20th FA Regt., and the Deep Strike Soldiers have been working with the communities and Iraqi Security Forces throughout Wasit province.

The orphans enjoyed an evening of performances by the 34th Infantry Division band and games including musical chairs, water balloon toss, three-legged race and soccer. Deep Strike Soldiers also supplied snacks, drinks and gifts for the event.

“Before we met with Lt. Col. Bush, we had a bad picture of American forces because of the media. Before, they used to say the Americans were invaders and occupation forces, but after we met with them and talked with them, we found out that they have big hearts and are very human,” said Nisreen, “especially Lt. Col. Bush. He has a big heart and he has helped us a lot. He gave us backpacks and soccer balls for the school.”

The evening’s events were wonderful for the children and Soldiers said Nisreen, but the biggest gift the American Soldiers gave to this area was the gift of democracy.

“I would like to send my regard to all American citizens and the American Army because they sacrificed a lot of Soldiers in Iraq to bring Iraq its democracy,” said Nisreen. “We have free speech. We can say whatever we want. We have political freedoms and can say our opinion.”

“Right now we have stability and we have good security in this province with the help of the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police,” she added. “Right now, thanks to God, we are living free, and living in a democracy. We will always remember the Americans for helping us to set up the country like this.”

The Soldiers of 2nd Bn., 20th FA Regt., are winding down their time in Wasit province and Iraq, and soon the 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt., 172nd Brigade Combat Team will take over the mission in Wasit province.

MNF-I
By Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson
Multi-National Division-South

It is difficult for Americans to appreciate the significance of steps such as a canal clean up. We take clean water for granted and do all we can to ensure that our waterways are usable. In Iraq, it is a different matter. A simple thing like cleaning up a canal system has many ramifications, people’s health, agriculture, the local economy, and all those things that these basic improvements then create.

Local Iraqis are cleaning the 250-kilometer Hahwar canal system to improve the distribution of water from the Tigris River to southwest Wasit Province.

The canal system provides water to 240,000 donums (59,000 acres) of crop land, roughly 10 percent of the arable land in Wasit, which is home to over 2,000 farmers.

“It’s been almost two years since the canals were cleaned, and it was a government project,” said Ahmed Abed Alwaaly, the contractor in charge of the project. “This project is better.”

The $378,000 canal cleaning project is funded by the Iraqi Commander’s Emergency Response Program and was implemented by the 41st Fires Brigade Civil Affairs Team in conjunction with the Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team’s agricultural advisor.

“This project is combined with the Hahwar pumping station project, which is a 1.7 million dollar ICERP project,” said Col. Richard Francey, 41st Fires Bde. commander. “It will be interesting to see how far out we can get the water with these two projects.”

“The people here will be very happy with this project because it will help a lot of farmers,” said a local farmer to Francey. “A lot of people left this area because they were not making any money farming.”

“Before 2003, a lot of the agricultural products for the province came from this area”, said Ahmed. “The people here are very poor, but they have big hearts.”

The canal cleaning project employs over 300 people a day with workers hired from local communities supported by the canal system.

The project is scheduled to run for six weeks, and the pumping station project has a projected completion date of Sept. 2009.

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