A Public Health Crisis in Baghdad

Courtesy of Juan Cole's blog: 4 Killed 17 Wounded in Tal Afar Mosque Bombing; Crisis of Water, Sewage in Baghdad.

I'd like to draw your attention to the AFP report that Baghdad's water treatment system is in such dire straits that there is a shortage of clean drinking water while they are literally "drowning in sewage" according to an Iraqi official. Not surprisingly, there is an accompanying cholera "crisis" (it's not really an epidemic yet) to go with the lack of clean drinking water. Apparently, the situation is being exacerbated by the U.S. military blockage on trucks, from Jordan, carrying chlorine for water purification purposes.

Although I understand the desire to avoid a suicide bombing that would result in the deaths of hundreds or thousands from direct contact with chlorine, I wish there could have been an accompanying effort to supply an alternative so that there isn't this public health crisis. If nothing else, U.S. forces could allow transport of clean drinking water in from some source outside of the city!

What really gets me is the claim that there is a lake of raw sewage so big, that you can see it on Google Earth! I saw several black spots last time I looked; I suspect the one the official is talking about is located at: 33 degrees, 24'N and 44 degrees, 20' E, although I am not absolutely certain.