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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports Basra, Iraq's second largest city (population over 1 million people), is experiencing a water supply crisis. According to the ICRC, relevant electricity cables have been rendered inoperable. It's unclear which party is responsible for the electricity sector damage and whether the damage was intentional. Below are relevant urls. It's worth recalling damage (deliberate (1) and illegal (2)) to Iraq's electricity and water and sanitation sector (3) gave rise to the public health disaster that followed the 1991 Gulf War. (4) The UN predicts if there is "degradation of infrastructure in general, and electricity in particular, on which the provision of the services concerned are heavily dependent on, many of these services are not likely to be available following a conflict." (5) If the "electricity network [is] seriously degraded because of damage to generating plants and the transmission and distribution networks[,] then [t]he damage to the electricity network will also result in collateral reductions in capacity in all sectors, particularly water and sanitation as well as health." (6) "[T]he collapse of essential services in Iraq ... could lead to a humanitarian emergency of proportions well beyond the capacity of UN agencies and other aid organizations". (7) If there is such a collapse, particularly an infrastructural one, then "the outbreak of diseases in epidemic if not pandemic proportions is very likely. Diseases such as cholera and dysentery [will] thrive in the environment". (8) ICRC: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList534/B698AED9B5852013C1256CF000618147 BBC Url: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2879373.stm Guardian Url: http://society.guardian.co.uk/disasterresponse/story/0,1321,920934,00.html Reuters Url: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=I2N5VJ44Z24NSCRBAEOCFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=2437479 1. Barton Gellman, "Allied Air War Struck Broadly in Iraq", Washington Post, 23 June 1991 2. Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977, http://193.194.138.190/html/menu3/b/93.htm, especially art. 54 and 56. 3. Report to the Secretary-General on Humanitarian Needs in Kuwait and Iraq in the Immediate Post-Crisis Environment by a Mission to the Area Led by Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management, Annex S/22366, 20 March 1991, para. 21 and 24, http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/background/reports/s22366.pdf and Report to the Secretary-General Dated 15 July 1991 on Humanitarian Needs in Iraq Prepared by a Mission Led by Sadruddin Aga Khan, Executive Delegate of the Secretary-General, Annex S/22799, 17 July 1991, para. 16, 18 and 20, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/sadruddin1.pdf and http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/sadruddin2.pdf and "Electrical Facilities Survey" and "Water and Wastewater Systems' Survey" in International Study Team, "Health and Welfare in Iraq after the Gulf War: An In-Depth Assessment", October 1991, http://www.warchild.ca/docs/ist_1991_iraq_report.pdf 4. "Health and Welfare in Iraq after the Gulf War: An In-Depth Assessment", October 1991, http://www.warchild.ca/docs/ist_1991_iraq_report.pdf 5. UN, "Likely Humanitarian Scenarios", 10 December 2002, para. 4, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/war021210.html 6. UN, "Likely Humanitarian Scenarios", 10 December 2002, para. 5, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/war021210.html 7. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), "Integrated Humanitarian Contingency Plan for Iraq and Neighbouring Countries", confidential draft, 7 January 2003, pg. 4, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/internal.htm 8. UN, "Likely Humanitarian Scenarios", 10 December 2002, para. 25, http://www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/war021210.html Nathaniel Hurd NGO Consultant on United Nations' Iraq policy Tel. (Mobile): 917-407-3389 Fax: 718-504-4224 Residential/Mailing Address: 90 7th Ave. Apt. #6 Brooklyn, NY 11217 _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk