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Maintaining water for the agriculture community in N. Iraq

Aug- 2-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

(TFO Press Release)

MOSUL , IRAQ ( August 2, 2004 ) – During Iraq’s brutal summer heat, the agricultural communities of Al Jazeria and Ninevah Province count on the water supplied by the Al Jazeria series of three water pumps and aqueducts. Without it, these communities would be without their lifeline of support for themselves and their crops.

With the help of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion Water Team, $50,000 was donated to assist the maintenance and electrical “tune-up” of Pump Station Number One’s facility, allocated through the Development Fund for Iraq account.

The Al Jazeria Pump Station Number One draws water from Mosul Lake and pumps it 4.5 kilometers to an above ground aqueduct that will take it to the other two pumps. Pump One moves the water at a rate of 48 cubic meters per second from 50 feet underground.

“If this pump breaks down from electrical equipment failure or structural damage, the whole agriculture community would be without water,” said Maj. Jerry Gardner, 416th Civil Affairs Battalion. “This would ruin this season’s tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, anything that needs water to grow.”

Once the water reaches the aqueduct, it travels to each of the two other pump stations 40 and 60 kilometers away. In between each station, there are numerous pipes that distribute the water to the agricultural fields totaling 250,000 donums (156,000 acres).

“This facility is old, but through proper maintenance and upkeep we hope to keep this facility running smoothly for as long as we can,” said the Chief engineer for the Al Jazeria Pump Number One. “There are a lot of citizens who need this water and we try to keep that in mind while we do our job.”


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