With Chlorine Supplies Dwindling, Iraqi Children Face Onslaught of Water-Borne Diseases
400 Tonnes of Chlorine Gas Urgently Needed, Especially in South
BASRA / GENEVA, UNICEF warned today that rapidly dwindling supplies of chlorine gas in southern Iraq will leave drinking
water untreated within weeks, with potentially calamitous effects on the lives of Iraqis.
UNICEF said only a small proportion of raw sewage is treated in Iraq. Most sewage is dumped untreated into the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers, and then drawn again into pumping and treatment stations that provide the majority of Iraqi
households with water. With the stations running low on chlorine, completely untreated water containing high
concentrations of toxins and organic contamination could soon be pumped directly into household pipes.