Girl standing outside the Al-Majidat school for girls (900 pupils), next to the Tuwaitha nuclear facility.
There has not been a fully comprehensive study on the human and
environmental consequences of the war on Iraq. The United Nations
Environmental Programme has only managed to carry out a desk study
and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was only allowed
to assess one site in a very controlled manner.
Other UN bodies and NGO's have done some work but it is
fragmented and not a comprehensive assessment. The recent UN/World
Bank reports only look at how much it will cost to put the country
back together again.
Below is a brief summary of what Greenpeace has managed to glean
from publicly available sources and our work in Iraq.
Casualties
There has been no comprehensive count of the Iraqi civilian or
military deaths and injuries caused as a result of the last Iraq
war. Estimates vary. According to Iraq body count reported
Iraqi civilian deaths could be as low as 8,100 or as high as 9,300.
An associated Press survey estimated that 3,420 civilians died
during the conflict itself whilst the Los Angeles Times put the
figure at 1,700 civilians dead and more than 8,000 injured in
Baghdad alone. The US government estimate that 2,320 Iraqi military
personnel were killed as of April 15, 2003 and that a total of 160
US, British and Canadian military personnel and 12 journalists were
killed. Whereas, a study by MedAct places Iraqi military casualties
at somewhere between 13,500 and 45,000
Displaced people
The Red Cross today estimates that 175 to 250,000 people are
displaced within the country. The situation of these displaced
populations is particularly precarious since they are not covered
by any governmental programmes. Thousands of families live in great
difficulty in unhealthy shelters: unused barracks, temporary
dwellings made of earth or branches, abandoned schools.
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance from the most recent war is another huge
problem. The US military estimated that they dropped 10,782 cluster
bombs containing 1.8 million submunitions on Iraq during the war
with the British using using over 2,000 that contained over 110,000
submunitions. The UN estimate that in Baghdad alone there are 800
sites where munitions have been dumped or cluster bomb munitions -
all of which will require clearing.
"... I have never seen as much explosive ordnance especially the
stockpiles of ammunition ever before...."
International Committee of the Red Cross mine clearance expert
Johan Sohlberg.
In just one month in one region of Iraq 250 casualties caused by
unexploded ordnance were reported. One example given by the Mines
Advisory Group is that in Kirkuk, northern Iraq in just one week 52
people were killed and 63 injured by landmines and unexploded
ordnance.
For many poor people landmines and UXO are a vital economic
resource in spite of the danger they pose. The metal can be sold as
scrap, providing a little cash for people unable to produce a
surplus harvest for sale. The explosive content of mines and
ordnance is sometimes used for fishing or is sold at market.
"The victim data made available for the seven week period ending
on 1 August 2003 indicates that an extremely hazardous environment
exists for many Iraqis. The 324 victims recorded in the southern
four governates is an extremely high figure compared to other
highly impacted countries (for example 150 victims per month are
recorded in all of Afghanistan). Based on this data, and the
information that is available, Iraq is the most EO [Explosive
Ordnance], UXO [unexploded ordnance] and landmine impacted country
in the world."
United Nations/World Bank Joint Needs Assessment Working Paper
on Mine Action, October 2003
Water and sanitation
Although degraded by years of neglect in the 1990s, water and
sewage treatment services were largely functional in Iraq before
the war.
According to a UN/World Bank report:
"As a result of the 2003 conflict, the situation
has
deteriorated
by 50 percent compared to the pre-war situation. In
addition there was serious damage to the water networks, resulting
in contaminated water supply
This was exacerbated by the collapse
of the sewage network
and the collapse of the sewage treatment
plants
This situation was further exacerbated by the direct damage
of power supply stations, office buildings, and other
infrastructure. In addition to this, widespread looting, the
collapse of management systems and operations and lack of
maintenance all contributed
"
Sanitation treatment plants were systematically looted in the
aftermath leaving a large percentage of the populace without access
to clean water and sanitation. Huge quantities of raw sewage are
being dumped into the Tigris and the Euphrates, the two major
rivers that flow through the country. One estimate is that around
300,00 tons of raw sewage a day was being dumped into the Tigris as
it flows through Baghdad - the cities main water source.
"The already deteriorated water and sanitation system in Iraq
collapsed as a result of this latest war. In Baghdad, around 40
percent of the network was damaged leading to loss or contamination
of piped water. Sewage treatment facilities are not operating due
to the breakdown of the fuel supply line, the lack of maintenance
and looting ."
As a result cholera is endemic, cases of typhoid are increasing
and there is a threefold increase in cases of diarrhea.
Many of the water and sewage treatment plants are dependent on
electricity for their normal operations. Some back-up generators
exist but many of these systems are plagued by the lack of spare
parts and normal maintenance, vandalism, and lack of fuel.
Over the next four years as much as US$ 11 billion may need to
be spent to rebuild and refurbish Iraq's water and sanitation
infrastructure.
Health
The UN estimate that 75 percent of all health-care structures in
Iraq were affected pre- and post war and as a result of the
looting, the collapse of the institutional framework and the
irregular supply of electricity and water.
The national drug supply system broke down as a consequence of
the war and its immediate aftermath. Computerized and paper
inventory management systems were destroyed.
"The damage done to the Iraqi health system by years of
underinvestment, economic sanctions and most acutely by weeks of
conflict is clear to see."
According to Khudair Abbas, the Iraqi health minister:
"The system "completely collapsed" during the war, Abbas said.
The World Health Organization has reported that two central
laboratories were destroyed, while four out of seven medical supply
warehouses were looted. The 850 patients in the country's only
mental hospital were simply missing after the war, Abbas said, and
50 percent to 60 percent of the hospital equipment that should have
been in place had been looted or just didn't exist, victim of the
Hussein-era policy of channeling all funds into security at the
expense of everything else."
Iraq's healthcare system has been slow to recover and ten months
later Iraq's hospitals are still a "breeding ground for
disease".
At the Central Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, there is open
sewage on the premises mixing with drinking water. Rubble from
pre-war maintenance remains inside the building and there are only
two bathrooms per floor of the four floor building for all
patients, nurses, doctors and family members. The hospital building
- built in 1985 - is in total disrepair. There are metal girders
everywhere. Water and sewage pipes lie torn up from the floors.
Half the hospital has been closed because of poor pre-war and
post-war maintenance. There are no air conditioning units. Over the
summer, temperatures rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
The UN/World Bank study estimates that close to US$ 6 billion
will need to spent over the next three years to start getting an
adequate healthcare system functioning in Iraq.
Agriculture
"After almost 14 years of wars, international sanctions and
government's stranglehold, the sector has virtually collapsed save
for the lifelines of food and input studies. The food subsidy given
out as monthly ration to the entire population, did stave off mass
starvation…"
The war resulted in the complete collapse of technical support
such as animal health centres and seed production facilities as
well as the national distribution infrastructure. The two main
fertiliser plants that supplied more than a half a million tons of
fertiliser to farmers are out of commission. Damage to water pumps
by bombing and subsequent looting as well as the lack of a
sustained electricity supply are affecting the much needed
irrigation of crops.
Concerns are now being raised about this year's crop unless
there is serious technical and financial investment in the
industry.
The World Bank estimates that US$1.2 billion will be needed in
2004 to start rebuilding the Iraqi agricultural infrastructure and
to provide its people with food security and that the total bill
between now and 2007 will be close to US$11 billion.
Electricity
While some of the extensive damage caused by the last Gulf war
to the electricity infrastructure was repaired prior to last years
war the situation was precarious. Sanctions led to a shortage of
spare parts and an inability to carry out major maintenance. Damage
caused by the war and the subsequent looting to generators and
transmission lines means that Iraq is currently only able to
generate half the electricity its population actually needs and
power cuts and blackouts are a daily occurrence in most areas.
There was also the complete destruction of the administrative
side of this sector.
"In the present generation system in Iraq, the lack of normal
environmental protection schemes poses a serious threat.
Uncontrolled power station emissions and thermal pollution of
waterways severely affect the local ecosystems and are among the
problems that need addressing."
The World Bank estimate that US$20 billion will need to be
invested between now and 2010 to repair the damage and that
generation capacity will not meet demand until 2006.
Nuclear material
A small Greenpeace team went to
Iraq in June 2003 to discover the true extent of nuclear
contamination that had resulted from the extensive looting of the
nuclear facility at Tuwaitha near Baghdad. They found serious
nuclear contamination in a village near the
Tuwaitha nuclear facility.
When presented with some of the findings, a US forces health
physicist said he would recommend that the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) get
involved and conduct an assessment as soon as possible.
The radioactive material found by the Greenpeace team was taken
from the facility by scavengers from the local community who were
unaware of its dangers but were seeking useful material for private
purposes such as building material, scrap metal recycling, or for
use as storage containers.
Some of the material has been confirmed to be yellowcake, a
slightly- radioactive uranium powder that is dangerous if inhaled,
which was taken from the IAEA-monitored store near Tuwaitha known
as Location C.