Iraq - USAID improving Iraqi quality of life

And that's a good thing.

One such undertaking was a massive project resulting in 1.75 million Basrah citizens gaining access to fresh drinking water. The aim: upgrade the Sweet Water canal to modern times.

The Sweet Water Canal, constructed in 1996 to supply water to Iraqis, pumps water to twenty-three plants around Basrah City which treat and distribute water into the city. Saddam Hussein’s old regime neglected the operation, and hadn’t conducted maintenance since 1999. This resulted in the facility operating at less than half its capacity, leaving more than 80 percent of the treated water unfit to drink.