August 18, 2003
I regret to announce that coalition forces will never be able to re-establish city-wide garbage collection service in Baghdad. Why? Never in its long history has the city ever had city-wide garbage collection. However, they have successfully started the first such service in the city. (Complete article is at the Coalition Provisional Authority's website here.)
Under the regime of Saddam Hussein only the most prominent Baghdad residents received garbage collection services. No consistent, universal system existed except in the wealthiest areas of town. Even then, garbage was collected only if residents tipped the city workers who came into their neighborhoods.
Steps like this are the key to creating a lasting peace in Iraq because they improve the lives of the people and provide new jobs.
This week, more than 1400 trucks have begun running a series of new routes reaching every part of the city. The trucks run two to three times per day to collect the more than 22,000 tons of waste generated every week. It is the first time that residents will have these services regardless of social or economic status.
Faris Abdul Razaq Al-Aasam Deputy Mayor for the Municipality stated, "This is a dramatic step forward toward improving the quality of life for millions of Iraqis. Under Saddam, residents' garbage often piled up for weeks, or was never collected. The regime simply didn't care about the health risks of this neglect on the city's population."
