Kurdistan Today Online Version: November 21, 2001

IRAQI KURDISTAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS AT AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE

Dr. Saadi Barzanji, President of the University of Salahaddin and Ismat M. Khalid, President of the University of Duhok travelled to Australia at the invitation of the Australian government along with other representatives from the region. They were invited to participate in the UNITING IN DIVERSITY: A KURDISH PERSPECTIVE Conference in Sydney on October 15.

At meetings with government officials, members of parliament, and university officials they informed them about

the current situation here and looked for ways to increase bilateral relations and to gain support for the long-term political solution to the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Officials were very interested in developments in the region under SCR-986 and KRG-funded projects.

At meetings with several universities, discussions focussed on ways to carry out joint projects, online learning, student exchange programs and possible scholarships for students from the region. All agreed that the two weeks of meetings were very productive.

BASTORA-BANAMAN ROAD

The major route from Salahaddin to Erbil has been undergoing major upgrading and improvements during the past couple of years. The work has been completed up to the Bastora Bridge.

From July 1, work began on the 4 km section from the bridge to Banaman, just below Salahaddin. The final cut has been done and the sub-base is layed. KRG allocated 6.5 million I.D. for this part of the road construction.

The route passes through very rocky and rough terrain requiring a lot of excavation work. Around 300,000 cu m were excavated from one 2.5 km section. At that time, a huge rock (100m x 3.5m x 3m) was uncovered that needed to be blasted out before work could proceed further.

Two large box culverts have also been completed to divert water from rain and the snow melt during the winter and spring.

Ministry of Works and Housing staff prepared the designs and are directly involved in the construction of the road.

A new 96 m four-lane bridge is also being constructed to join the previously completed section from Khanzad across the Bastora River.

The bridge, which is sub-contracted to a Turksih company was also designed by MOWAH and is being supervised by their staff.

The road and bridge are expected to be done in the Spring of 2002.

DELIZIAN COMPACT UNIT WATER PROJECT UNDERWAY

Two communities are set to benefit from a water project being undertaken by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Development, Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism (MOMAT), UNCHS (Habitat) and UNICEF. Delizian and Badilian will directly benefit when the project is completed in the spring.

Delizian, a community that has been resettled since 1999 by returnees from Iran and other IDPs has had to contend with getting their drinking water by tanker. The 2,000 residents are anxious to resolve their water problems and pleased that a solution has been found. Badilian, a large village nearby with 1,400 residents will also be supplied.

Site for the Delizan compact unit on the Sardaw River

Originally, it was planned to supply these communities from Soran; however, the drought had a severe impact on the amount of water available and with the large increase in population in Soran itself, it became impossible to use the water supply from there.

Geological study determined that the area was unsuitable for a well to be drilled and no springs had an adequate supply for the two communities.

The best possible solution is to bring water from the Sardaw River about 4.5 km away. UNICEF working with MORAD will install a compact unit to filter and purify the water and pump it to the village. This project is the first of its kind undertaken by the KRG.

A special office is being constructed near the compact unit for the staff who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the unit.

While this work is ongoing, HABITAT, MORAD and MOMAT will be building the water network in the Delizian community that will allow each household to have running water.

MORAD and UNICEF will be building a similar network for the Badilian village

The project will install an intake unit at the river and pump the water about 500 m to the compact unit where the water will be filtered and purified and then pumped another 500 m to a storage area with a booster pump that will pump the water 4 km to Delizian to a reservoir from which water will be distributed to individual households.

MEROZ SELF-BUILD HOUSING PROJECT STARTED

The resettlement of Meroz is a story of determination to reconstruct and rehabilitate an area that has been destroyed more than once. The remote area is about 220 km north of Erbil in a beautiful mountainous area of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Site for the first 250 houses in Meroz

The area was famous for its sheep and goats that have grazed the slopes for centuries. It has excellent honey that is sought after in city markets. Nut crops have also provided an excellent income for local farmers in the past. The orchards and trees have largely been left untended for several years and projects will have to be carried out to rehabilitate them and to assist the farmers who return to the area.

The existing road is currently undergoing a major improvement project to widen and pave it so that access to the area will be much easier and faster. The difficult work to blast through the rock of the first 6.5 km has been completed and the sub-base has been laid. An additional 3.5 km have been widened and the earth work is done. The Ministry of Reconstruction and Development (MORAD) is pushing ahead with the roadwork while the weather holds. This is an area that sees several of meters of snow each year.

Meanwhile, 242 families have moved to the area to begin work on their houses. The race is on for everyone to try to get the foundations completed and the floors poured before the snow comes. The rest of the work will have to wait until spring.

The project being carried out with SCR-986 funding is using the services of five contractors to deliver supplies for the house construction. Sand, gravel and cement blocks have been delivered to the site. Families are also eligible to receive cash assistance that is paid to them in three stages at the beginning of each construction phase.

Six engineers are on site to supervise and to provide advice to the families at work. Many are cooperating and collaborating with each other to get the work done.

The community will have schools, a health center, roads, sewerage system and a water network when completed. Another 600 houses are planned for the area and it is expected that work will begin on those next spring.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE FLOWER SHOP OPENS

In mid-October, a new flower shop opened in Erbil on the Kirkuk-Erbil Road directly opposite the President's Office at the University of Salahaddin.

New flower shop opens on the Kirkuk road

Last year, The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in cooperation with FAO built a nursery with the primary purpose of growing flowers. The nursery serves as a training center for farmers across the region.

With the nursery functioning well, the Ministry now aims to work on creating a market for fresh flowers. They have been providing fresh flowers to various regional Ministries on special occasions and with this new retail outlet are hoping that people in Erbil will start to buy flowers for their homes or for special occasions.

Flowers and plants are for sale in the shop and orders can also be placed. Staff are hoping that demand will grow. Ministry staff are supporting the project in an effort to open up a new business opportunity for farmers in the region.

PHARMACIES ARE IMPORTANT SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY

Iraqi Kurdistan has been struggling to recover from years of neglect, destruction, sanctions and embargos but despite the difficulties and obstacles people work hard to build small businesses and support themselves.

One prominent profession, pharmacy, sets an example for others to follow. Pharmacists in the region must complete a five-year university degree program before becoming eligible to practice. Upon graduation, they must complete a three-year supervised period. At least one year must be spent in a smaller community. After completing the three-years under supervision, the pharmacist can be registered with the Pharmacists' Syndicate, which is the governing body for the profession.

Many Erbil pharmacies are located along this street

In Erbil, there are about 60 pharmacies mostly small businesses that are owner operated. Many of them are clustered together in the district where many doctors have located their offices. Many employ other pharmacists or clerks as well.

Pharmacies are only open in the afternoon because all pharmacists must work at government hospitals or clinics half-days for 25 years.

Pharmacists purchase supplies from the six wholesalers suppliers. Most medicines are brought from Iran, Iraq or other Far Eastern countries, such as India. Most pharmacies work with a single supplier with whom they build a strong working relationship.

The difficult situation in the region makes it tough for the pharmacists to keep their stores stocked with important medicines. It is particularly difficult to find the cytotoxis (anti-tumor drugs) in the region.

Another problem faced by practicing pharmacists is the lack of up-to-date reference material on newly introduced medicines that would benefit local citizens. More recently, they are able to access some of this information on the Internet, but many would support a more active role of the Kurdistan Regional Government in seeking resource material and providing more health information from the WHO to the general public.

RED CROSS SPONSORS CALLIGRAPHY COMPETITION

For the past three years, the ICRC has sponsored a competition that promotes understanding of human rights under the Geneva Convention and other international treaties. There have been painting and poster competitions for regional artists and this year's was among the calligraphers. Erbil is famous for its calligraphy and the competition brought many excellent examples of this work to the attention of the local community. There were many fine examples of the different styles on display. The winning entries were beautiful pieces of art.

Akram Mantik, Governor of Erbil, views calligraphy competition with Sylvana Mutti from the Red Cross at the Media Gallery in Erbil

Next year, the ICRC is considering sponsoring a competition for local journalists that will be announced in the spring. Seminars will assist journalists to learn reporting techniques and will focus on human rights issues.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been active in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991. Originally, involved in the huge relief operation, the ICRC now is involved in many other projects including work on water and sanitation and health center rehabilitation projects. They also operate an orthopaedic center for mine victims and other amputees in Erbil.