2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs

Story by Sgt. Rodney Foliente

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Basra's government leaders met with members of the Basra Provincial Reconstruction Team and 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at the city's trash dump, July 23, to assess the progress of a month-long project to facilitate the mass cleanup of trash.

The government hired local civilian contractors to assist in cleaning up and transporting the province's overwhelming volume of accumulated trash for the recently launched project.

"The municipality and the contractors are working together to clean up the city," said Majed, the PRT coordinator with the Basra municipality. "One of the governor's main priorities is cleaning up the city. The PRT wanted to help with this issue and they suggested this project to the municipality."

"There are six Iraqi contractors to collect the garbage from the main six regions of Basra," Majed continued. "Each contractor has about a hundred trucks and they are working daily."

The contractors are paid for the amount of trash they deliver rather than a fixed price for their district, added Maj. Stanley Hutchison, 2nd BCT project management team chief, 4th Inf. Div.

"The harder they work, the more money they receive," said Hutchison. He said this approach creates a sense of competition and provides greater guarantees the work gets done. The sheer amount of trash being delivered shows a tremendous amount of progress for the province's waste management efforts.

"There's been an average of 1,000 to 1,500 workers delivering four to six loads per day to the dump site," continued Hutchison, who hails from Salem, Ore.

The 2nd BCT has provided $2.8 million to fund this phase of the cleanup and since the project uses local contractors and laborers, it also helps stimulate the local economy, said Hutchison.

"After we finish our cleaning campaign this month, the municipality will resume its normal duties to make the job sustainable and keep the province clean," said Basra Gov. Sheltag Aboud al-Mayah.

The PRT and 2nd BCT have been working with the local government on a number of ongoing cleanup projects since June, to include cleaning the canals and roadsides, clearing the province of scrap metal piles, repairing the trash collection fleet and providing trash containers to residences and businesses, with additional receptacles throughout the city, added Hutchison.

The provincial government is determined not to get bogged down by so much trash again. After years of citizens being forced to dump trash alongside the roads or in open spaces between homes, the government is working on educating the people and working to break such habits through its cleanup campaign and providing needed trash receptacles and collection services. Eventually citizens may be fined for littering to help enforce keeping the province clean, said Hutchison.

"Cleaning up the province will reawaken pride in Basra for many," said Hassan, a truck driver. He said it is good to clean the city and too much trash has accumulated over the years. He said he is glad to see efforts to achieve such a positive change.

"Getting rid of the trash not only helps the way the province looks, but it benefits the condition and health of the population," said the governor.

"Cleaning up the city of all its trash will make Basra safer and healthier," agreed Hutchison. "Right now, you have kids playing day-to-day in trash or scrap metal piles. One way to attack diseases is to pick up the trash, then take care of sewage and water problems. Picking up the trash is the first step so the other issues can be adequately taken care of."

The huge piles of trash and scrap metal are concealing problems and preventing repairs to other essential service projects, such as water, electricity and sewage, continued Hutchison.

He said the trash also keeps necessary investments from coming into the region.

"Right now, trash is a hindrance in a lot of areas throughout the province, restricting the amount of land resources available and impeding investors coming in with jobs for the citizens," he said.

There are many obstacles to be tackled in Basra before the quality of life for the people is where it should be, said the governor, but he emphasized there has been much progress in a short time and thanked the PRT, 2nd BCT and American government for their assistance in Basra.

"With help from our friends of other nations, we can overcome all these obstacles and challenges. We can put all our efforts forward together and they will be fruitful," said the governor.

Associated Images

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