Iraqis shop at Rasheed street's Friday market amidst scorching temperatures, in the capital Baghdad, on August 6, 2021. Sabah ARAR/AFP
AM:11:43:15/08/2021
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SULAIMANI — Baghdad's west has been cut off from the city's
water network after the Islamic State (ISIS) group attacked an electricity
pylon powering a pumping station, authorities and residents said on Saturday
(August 14).
Unclaimed attacks on Iraq's electricity network have been
increasing since the start of summer, at a time when the country is facing
severe power shortages.
Authorities normally accuse "terrorists" of being
behind the attacks, without identifying a particular group.
But the Iraqi army said in a statement Saturday that ISIS
jihadists were behind an "attack" Friday on a pylon in Tarmiya, north
of the capital.
The pylon supplies the Tarmiya pumping station which serves
Karkh, the city's west and home to several million people.
Baghdad announced victory over the Islamic State jihadist
group in 2017, though troops continue to fight sleeper cells.
Residents of Karkh told AFP on Saturday that water had been
cut off since the day before.
"We don't have much water in our tank and we're afraid
this cut will be prolonged," a Karkh resident told AFP, declining to be
identified.
Many Baghdad residents have installed their own water tanks,
as persistent power cuts make Iraq's daily water distribution erratic.
Municipal authorities urged residents to ration tank water
usage until the pylon has been repaired and the situation "returns to
normal".
Since the start of the summer, authorities have reported the
damage or destruction of some 60 electricity pylons across the country, mostly
in desert regions.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met security and
intelligence officials on Friday and ordered the establishment of a crisis unit
to protect the electricity network.
Oil-rich Iraq produces just 16,000 megawatts of power -- far
below the 24,000 megawatts needed, and even further from the expected future
needs of a country whose population is set to double by 2050, according to the
UN.
The country buys gas and electricity from neighboring Iran
to supply about a third of its power sector, which has been worn down by years
of conflict and poor maintenance, and is unable to meet the needs of the
country's 40 million population.
Last month, areas in the country's south were plunged into
darkness for several days after a series of similar attacks.
Around the same time, Iran briefly suspended its gas and
electricity exports because of Iraq's failure to pay a $6 billion energy debt.
The failure of Iraq's power system is particularly acute in
the baking hot summer months, when temperatures shoot past 45 degrees Celsius
(113 Fahrenheit).
(NRT Digital Media/AFP)