Cholera in Iraq

Iraqis fish in the Tigris River next to a sewage pipe.

From an AP article in the Houston chronicle last week. Two-thirds of the raw sewage in the capital flows untreated into waterways and residents in parts of the city still get their drinking water from the river.

"Iraq is on the cusp of a serious water crisis that requires immediate attention and resources," said Thomas Naff, a Middle East water expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

The World Bank has estimated that it would take $14.4 billion to rebuild the Iraqi public works and water system.

Relevant material previously on the blog:
The ghost map
Expecting the unexpected