Photo By Spc. Ryan Elliott | Gen. Mark Hertling, commander, Multi-National Division-North along with members of the...... read more read more
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By Spc. Ryan Elliott
2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq - Key leader of the Iraqi ministry of agriculture along with members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team and leaders of Multi-National Division North came together on Forward Operating Base Warhorse to tackle the issues that severe drought in the Diyala region has caused, July 17, 2008.
"The discussion here today is to show how complex these issues area, it involves agricultural issues, it involves security issues, electrical power issues," said Brig. Gen. David Perkins, assistant division commander, Multi-National Division North. "So it's very evident why we have to get the right people together talking about these things."
This year will be the third consecutive year of drought throughout the entire province of Diyala. The drought has caused severe shortages of drinking water; the threat of an epidemic of disease is another consequence of the severe drought that is occurring.
The conference is one of the first steps in a long journey to relive the effects of drought on the province one of the largest steps is identifying who to involve in key position of the government of Iraq.
"We are outlining all these interrelationships. It educates us as to where in the local provincial and national governments we have to go through to bring people together to solve a problem," said Perkins.
Getting the key leaders together will now allow the government of Iraq in coordination with coalition forces to better attack the issues of drought in the Diyala region.
"The clearer we understand the relationships the easier it is to know where we have to try harder," said Perkins.
Another aim of the conference is to set up guidelines to prioritize water usage, as well as discuss a public awareness campaign, which will educate the local people of the Diyala province how to conserve waning water resources, according to the Department of State Provincial Reconstruction Team, based out of Forward Operating Base Warhorse.
The challenges created by the drought combined with the people of Diyala regions dependence on agriculture and livestock have spawned creative solutions.
"Were working with some agriculture experts from the U.S. who will come over and show some other planting techniques and some irrigation techniques that can help with the effect of the drought," said Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, commander, Multi-National Division-North.
The way to alleviate the more strenuous pains inflicted by the drought will have to come from the intellect and ingenuity of the people of the Diyala province.
We are hoping that more young people will be attracted to the lively hood of farming, said Hertling. We hope that they will bring with them more modern water conserving techniques and systems of raising agriculture and livestock.
The conference was a give and take intellectual discussion between the heads of both the government of Iraq and leaders of the coalition forces.
I believe that today's conference was very constructive it allowed for an open discourse that highlighted problems and solutions, said Perkins.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2008 04:23 |
| Story ID: | 24401 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 713 |
| Downloads: | 656 |
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