Administrator’s Weekly Report

Administrator’s Weekly Report Essential Services 9-15 November 2003 Electricity/Power Objective: Provide Electricity Services that Meet National Needs The Ministry of Electricity continues their planned fall maintenance program with thirteen units down for scheduled maintenance. Average peak output for the reporting period was 3,554 MW (3,829 MW last report). Maintenance is scheduled to end in time for winter’s cooler months when demand for electricity in residential heating increases. Bechtel continues repairs to heat exchangers and water treatment systems at Hartha, Shuaba, Najibiah and Zubair generation facilities; rehabilitation of two generation units at Daura Power Plant and five generation units at Baiji Power Plant; development of new generation facilities at Kirkuk, Mussaib and Baghdad South; and, repairs to the 400 KV line from Khor Zubair to Nassiriyah. The US Army Corps of Engineers Task Force Restore Iraqi Electricity is implementing 14 generation projects, 9 transmission projects and 3 management/control projects designed to complement CPA and MOE restoration efforts. Transportation Objective: Restore Economically-Strategic Transportation Infrastructure The Iraqi Republic Railway (IRR) railroad consists of 2,000 KM and over 11,000 employees. The IRR is running an average of 20 trains per day, including six passenger trains, two fuel trains and twelve military trains. The CPA continues to work with the IRR to reestablish rail service to other sectors including grain, fertilizer and cement transport. Fourteen acts of sabotage were committed against the railway in October, and 25 acts of sabotage were reported for the first half of November. CPA and CJTF-7 have formed a Tiger Team and are developing options to address the worsening situation. The Ministry of Transportation will inaugurate international passenger train service with a weekly Mosul-Aleppo (Syria) overnight train beginning 22 November. In response to the growing demand for commercial aviation cargo service to Iraq, CPA will expand cargo service to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The volume of goods shipped to Iraq is expected to increase significantly in the coming months. The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has offered to provide the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation with multiple 45-person passenger busses worth an estimated $3 million. The offer will be discussed with the Ministry of Transportation in the coming weeks. Telecommunications Objective: Reconstruct Telecommunications System and Introduce Advanced Technologies A joint effort between the Ministry of Communications (MOC) and the US Army is improving security at most telecom sites in Baghdad. More than 150 guards will be on duty by the end of the month. The Iraqi postal service has run out of postage stamps and is instead using bulk meter machines to stamp mail. The problem is a result of indecision within the Iraqi postal commission regarding where the stamps will be produced and how the bidding process will work. A recent change in the position of Postmaster General is exacerbating the situation. CPA/MOC has gathered more than 13,000 cell phone service requirements from Coalition civil and military organizations to develop contracts with the three regional cell phone vendors. Water Resources Irrigation Canals km (estimate) Total Irrigation Canals in Iraq 27,000 Canals in need of clearance May 2003 20,000 Canals cleared 16,500 Objective: Improve Water Resource Management The Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR) canal clearing employment program has drawn to a close ahead of the winter season. In addition to clearing more than 16,500 kilometers of canals, the program generated seven million man-days of work and injected more than $18 million into the rural economy. Two Iraqi engineers with the MOWR recently returned from California where they worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a reservoir simulation model of the Tigris-Euphrates System. They will soon begin field testing the model and training other Ministry employees. Health Objective: Improve Quality and Access to Health Care Seven children who were airlifted to Germany and the US for medical treatment returned this week to their families in Iraq. Another 384 Iraqis are on the list for treatment outside Iraq. The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) main focus remains the rehabilitation of the healthcare infrastructure in Iraq, where costs are a fraction of what is required to transport patients out of country for treatment. The Minister met with a Korean delegation on November 15 to refine plans to refurbish several medical facilities, including the Al-Karama hospital in Baghdad. This project includes 80 surgical beds, as well as a new emergency department, pediatric and maternal health center, and kidney transplant and dialysis center. The World Health Organization has agreed to pay for significant modernization and equipping of the Iraqi Blood Service, including several “blood mobiles.” The Senior Advisor and staff continue strategic planning efforts to foster a seamless transition of responsibilities to the Minister of Health. Key staff are clarifying actions necessary to ensure a successful transition. Nine working groups continue to meet at the MOH to develop the Minister’s strategic plan for Iraq for the year 2005 and beyond. These working sessions have been lively and are providing Iraqi professionals valuable insights in teamwork and decision making processes of executive management. Higher Education Objective: Improve Quality and Access to Higher Education CPA/Higher Education has begun information technology training for 14 employees of the Ministry of Higher Education. This cadre of experts will be responsible for creating the Ministry’s Internet webpage and the webpages for each university. The Director of the Natural History Museum of Baghdad University, Dr. Hussein Al-Ali, will meet in Amman with several U.S. institutions to identify the needs of Iraq’s museums and develop projects to address those needs. The Iraq Foundation of Technical Education has invited ten members of the Iraqi-American Society for Higher Education to teach at Iraq’s technical institutes. The areas of specialization of these professors include engineering, computer science, mathematics, and genetics. Food Security Objective: Provide Food Security for all Iraqis The UN has renegotiated 408 of 419 Oil for Food contracts for food imports to date, for a total of 2.7 million metric tons valued at more than $1.2 billion. CPA is planning to transfer funds to the World Food Program for the immediate procurement of commodities that are expected to be in short supply over the next few months, including wheat, rice, tea and infant formula. The first of three incoming shipments of OFF contracted wheat from Australia has now successfully offloaded at Umm Qasr port. The second ship is being offloaded now, with the third due to arrive at Aqaba Jordan in the next several days. CPA and USAID are currently installing communications equipment in the Ministry of Trade offices and at several border points to improve information exchange and facilitate the flow of food commodities into the country. PAGE 1