U.S. contractors restored power

5 Fixing Iraq’s Infrastructure U.S. contractors restored power and bridges while repairing neglected water and sewage systems vital to Iraqi’s health. Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. A massive dredge hired by USAID contractor Bechtel removes silt from the coun- try’s only deepwater port at Umm Qasr. This paved the way for large-scale deliveries of U.S. food and the return of commercial shipping. April ‘03 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ▲ Emergency food grant to WFP ▲ Statue ▲ Education contract, ▲ Infrastructure contract, Bechtel ▲ Free Atlas leaves US of Saddam Creative Associates ▲ WFP trucks arrive in Iraq Free Atlas unloads ▲ food for 2.3 million with 28,000 tons of food toppled ▲ Local governance contract, RTI ▲ Coalition forces take Baghdad airport ▲ DART arrives Baghdad Health contract, ▲ Abt Associates 6 I n f r a s t r u c t u r e U.S. assistance began recon- struction of Iraq’s electricity plants, bridges, water systems and other infrastructure within a few weeks of the collapse of the regime. Congress passed the Supplemental Appropria- tion bill in April, 2003, and within a few weeks the Agency began work in several sec- tors. The biggest contract, worth $600 million, went to Bechtel for rebuilding infrastructure. Some criticism was reported in the press of the decision to limit bidding on the infra- structure contract to seven major firms capa- ble of such large projects overseas. However, the process was entirely legal and necessary if delays were to be avoided. Bechtel ended up performing exceptionally well under extreme- ly difficult circumstances. When the second infrastructure contract, worth $1.8 billion, was opened up to all bidders in 2004, fewer than seven companies applied. Bechtel won that one, as well, in a joint offer with Parsons of California. Bechtel entered Iraq in late April 2003, within days of signing the contract. It began with a country-wide assessment of the critical economic infrastructure. Prioritizing easier re- pairs first, the company began ordering equip- ment for longer term projects and bringing in technical experts from around the world. The harbor at Umm Qasr was dredged; chemicals were bought for water treatment facilities, and work began on power stations, electric transmission lines and diesel generating sets throughout Iraq. Thomas Hartwell Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. Water and Sanitation An Iraqi engineer (near right) checks water flow- ing from a new treatment plant built with U.S. and CPA aid. It provides 40,000 people in south- east Iraq clean drinking water. The city’s only source had been contami- nated water from a branch of the Tigris River. “I used to get sick from the river water,” said the engineer. Untreated sewage flows directly into the Tigris and Euphrates.Many wastewater treatment facilities are inoperative due to vandalism,deliberate neglect, and a lack of parts, electricity and chemicals. To end this, the U.S. is spending $217 million repairing wa- ter systems throughout Iraq, directly benefitting 14.5 million people. Contractors have already re- paired hundreds of breaks in the water network, sig- nificantly increasing water flow. In Baghdad, one water plant is being expanded and three sewage plants are being repaired, improv- ing daily water flows to hundreds of thousands of people. We are installing back-up electrical genera- tors at 41 Baghdad water facilities and pumping sta- tions to ensure continuous water supply. Repairs to Baghdad’s sewage treatment plants—Rustimiyah North, Rustimiyah South, and Kerkh—will benefit 3.8 million people by October 2004. Other rehabilitation projects include two water plants and four sewage plants in Najaf, Karbala and Hillah; the entire Sweet Water Canal system near Basra; the Safwan water system; and water and sewage plants in Kirkuk and Mosul. Since the early 1990s, Iraqi children died in very high numbers. Much of this is directly attributable to the deliberate neglect of the country’s waste water facilities and the draining of the southern marsh- lands. The death rate has been so high—hundreds of thousands over the past 12 years—that in parts of the South it may be tantamount to infanticide. Ben Barber/USAID Electricity Restoring and improving Iraq’s electricity supply has been the biggest and most costly challenge. Power plants had not been properly maintained for many years and, except for Baghdad, most of the country got power only a few hours a day. In addition, saboteurs and thieves have frequently destroyed pylons and stolen copper wiring from the power transmission lines that link Baghdad with the north and south of the country. Nevertheless, repairs helped boost electricity out- put above the pre-war 4,000 megawatt level by Octo- ber, 2003, and dependable power was distributed to many parts of the country for the first time in years. After all the repairs are made, USAID, the CPA and Bechtel expect electricity production to reach 6,000 MW by the summer of 2004. In an effort to block the restoration of power, at- A damaged electric power py- lon (above), one of hundreds attacked by vandals who often sold the copper wiring. Iraqi engineers (left) monitor controls at a power plant re- paired with USAID funding. tackers had tried to cut the pipelines supplying fuel to some power plants as well as the electric power cables sending power to the cities. Coalition forces have been able to train Iraqis to provide security for those vital fuel and power conduits. While total electric power output continued to climb, it was distributed in a new way. Under the old regime, the outlying regions were required to send power to Baghdad which enjoyed electricity nearly 24 hours per day. But the smaller cities such as Basra had power only a couple of hours each day. Now power is more evenly shared, even if Baghdadis may feel they have less hours of power than they enjoyed in the past. Power is also growing at a time when demand is spiking due to booming sales of electric appliances from refrigerators to air conditioners to satellite televi- sions since Iraq’s central controls and trade isolation has ended. Results ● Generated 4,518 MW on October 6, 2003-surpass- ing the pre-war level of 4,400 MW. ● Installing power at Baghdad International Airport and Umm Qasr seaport. ● Repair thermal units, replace and repair tur- bines, rehabilitate the transmission network, and install and restore generators—expected to add 2,152 MW. ● Another 827 MW be- ing added through maintenance, rehabili- tation, and new gener- ation projects. ● Rehabilitating units at Doura and Bayji power plants. ● Reconstruction of 400-kv transmission network ● Installing new gen- erating capacity at power plants in the north and center. May ‘03 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ▲ End of major combat operations ▲ J. Paul Bremer named head of CPA ▲ US lifts sanctions on Iraq ▲ Airport contract to SkyLink ▲ Umm Qasr transferred to civilian authority ▲ Community project grants to five NGOs 7 Thomas Hartwell Results Iraqi workmen cleaning a waste water plant, part of a massive USAID effort to provide clean water and improve health throughout the country. ● Repaired and rehabil- itated water systems throughout Iraq. ● Repaired hundreds of breaks in Iraq’s neglect- ed water network, sig- nificantly increasing water flow. ● Baghdad: Expanding one water plant and reha- bilitating three sewage plants. ● South Central: Reha- bilitating An Najaf and Karbala’ water treatment plants. ● Basra: Work began on Basra’s 14 water treatment plants in January. By sum- mer 2004, water quality and volume will surpass prewar levels. ● North: Rehabilitating water plants in Kirkuk, Mo- sul and Al Dujayl, and the Al Dujayl sewage plant. Captain Stuart Bage, STRE Iraqi girl getting water from makeshift system Removing caked silt from Sweet Water Canal reser- voirs. The Canal system supplies water to 1.75 mil- lion people in Basrah gov- ernate. Telecommunications USAID contractors million in projects to have carried out repair Baghdad’s some $55 switch- ing network. In 2002, approximately 1.2 subscribed to landline Parts of the network’s were damaged during was disrupted. Since restoring the national repairing the telephone Baghdad and restoring million Iraqis telephone service. switching component the war and service then, USAID has been telecom fiber network, switching system in international tele- phone service. Results Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. ● International calling service to Iraq was re- stored on December 30. ● The Al Mamoun Telecommunications site was handed over to the Ministry of Communica- tions on February 26. ● New phone switches and an international satellite gateway were integrated with Iraqi Telephone and Postal Company switches. ● Tools, equipment, and parts were purchased to enable Iraqi engineers to restore the network. ● The national fiber op- tic network from Mosul to Umm Qasr was re- paired, connecting 20 cities to Baghdad. ● Baghdad area phone service was reconstitut- ed by installing new switches. Iraqi Telephone Company workers and Postal connect subscribers telephone in a Baghdad exchange. area June ‘03 1 2 3 4 ▲ USAID/ ▲ $425 5 6 7 8 UNICEF million 9 10 11 begin vaccinating emergency food 3 million children grant to WFP 12 13 14 15 16 ▲ Team 17 18 19 20 21 22 assesses ▲ Umm southern Qasr port marshes reopens 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ▲ Army picked as Corps of Engineers advisor 8 I n f r a s t r u c t u r e Ports Umm Qasr, on the border with Kuwait, is the country’s only deepwater ocean port and the first Iraqi city liberated from Saddam Hus- sein’s forces. Work by USAID contractors be- gan immediately to remove sunken ships left since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War as well as munitions and silt. With Bechtel and Steve- doring Services of America, the U.S. complet- ed a $45 million program to restore the port’s ability to process food and handle commeri- cial shipments. Results Results Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. ● Reopening commercial 17, 2003. the traffic port to June ● Offloading per month. 40 ships ● Dredging age depth ters. to of an 12.5 aver- me- ● Rehabilitating ships to help harbor. Iraqi maintain ● Renovating grain cility to process 600 metric tons an hour. fa- ● Providing revenue for port operations by col- lecting new port tariffs. ● Installing and security the old and and grain generators fencing at new ports facility. ● Renovating adminis- tration, passenger ter- minal and customs hall buildings. ● Employing 500 Iraqi staff, mostly in the Ma- rine Department of the Port Authority. Bridges USAID work bridge and Bechtel on bridges, projects are are roads, shown doing $34 million in and railways. Major below. Khazir River Bridge Al Mat Bridge Tikrit Al Bridge Kut Bridge USAID and Bechtel paired bridges in locations in Iraq. have several re- key ● Al Mat Bridge: A key link on Highway 10 that carries 3,000 trucks daily between Baghdad and Jordan. The four-lane bridge reopened to two- way traffic March 3, 2004. ● Khazir Bridge: Critical to the flow of fuel and agricultural products. South span repaired—two of the four lanes—and re- opened for two-way traffic May 5, 2004. ● Tikrit Bridge: Impor- tant link for passengers and commerce over the Tigris River between Tikrit and Tuz Khurmatu. Work expected to finish in May 2004. ● Repaired a floating bridge on the Tigris Riv- er in Al Kut. This improves traffic for approximately 50,000 travelers a day. Wreckage from is removed from Iran-Iraq War Umm Qasr Airports USAID and partners SkyLink and Bechtel have spent $47 million rehabilitating Baghdad and Basra airports, improving the transport of humanitarian, reconstruction, and commer- cial goods. About 20 non-military flights are processed daily at Baghdad International Air- port. It has been prepared to accept commer- cial flights when they resume. Projects at Basra International Airport in- clude repairing the runway, taxiway, and apron striping, installing two baggage x-ray units, repairing passenger support facilities and installing communications systems. Other projects include installing the security fence and repairing airport water and sewage treat- ment plants. Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. Reconstructed at Baghdad Airport terminal International Railroads The Iraqi Republic Railways (IRR) system—al- though run down and badly in need of re- pair—had 2,200 km of track, repair shops, stations, and over 10,000 wagons. “Our first task in the railway sector was to assess the capability of the railway to trans- port humanitarian aid arriving at the Port of Umm Qasr to cities throughout the country,” said David White, Bechtel’s IRR manager. The U.S. team soon established a long- lasting working relationship with the senior IRR management in Basra and Baghdad and jointly inspected 1100 km of the railway. They are constructing 72 km of new track. IRR contributes equip- ment and labor, while USAID contributes project management, material, and parts. Workers perform a damage assessment at railroad bridge prior to preparing a repair plan. Results ● Repairing 16 km of track at Umm Qasr and 56 km of track between the port and Shuiaba Junction near Basra to move cargo, including food, from the seaport to mills. ● Removed explosive dinance at the rail project near Shuiaba Junction. or- line Courtesy of Bechtel National, Inc. July ‘03 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ▲ First meeting, Iraqi Governing Council 17 18 19 20 21 ▲ Bechtel Al Mat bypass completes 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ▲ Uday and Hussein killed ▲ Vaccination Qusay ▲ USAID opens in Mission Baghdad Day ▲ Financial contract, BearingPoint