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Attendees : 0 Deputy |
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Absence with Excused : 0 Deputy |
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Absence without Excused : 0 Deputy |
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On 28/11/2013, the CoR held an extraordinary session chaired by the Speaker H.E. Osama al-Nujaifi:
- 170 MPs attended the session;
- The CoR hosted H.E. Aadil Mehouder, Minister for Municipality and Public Works, as well as Mr. Naeem Aboub, the Mayor of Baghdad, and the Governors of Baghdad, Babel, Wasit, Diwaniyah and Thi Qar;
- MP Viyan Dakheel, chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee for Services and Reconstruction, read out the report of her Committee regarding the problem of heavy rains and the ensuing floods. The main points outlined by the report are:
1- The futility of the ministerial services committee despite having all powers needed for managing such crises. This Committee failed to take precautionary measures and establish coordination channels among the authorities concerned with providing services;
2- The lack of a strategic plan for the implementation of projects related to the sewage networks of Baghdad and the other governorates;
3- The lack of networks specialized for draining rain water established separately from sewage networks. In the areas that have such rain water networks, they have been designed to be mixed with the sewage networks which lead to the overflow of drain water to flood the houses which forewarns a serious environmental and health disaster;
4- The Zeblin Drainage Line suffers from blockages of 60-80% although it is a vital line that was established in the 1980s. The current capacity of the line does not exceed 25%;
5- The default of Baghdad Mayoralty to implement Al-Khansaa Line Project for unjustified reasons like the existence of squat houses. This problem could have been evaded had the Baghdad Mayoralty has started implementing the project at the time of its awarding;
6- The inability to operate pumps at full capacity at the drainage networks of any area to prevent flooding the next areas, and the result was the flooding of all residential areas;
7- The failure to use drainage facilities to drain rain water, and if they are used they are not dredged;
8- The outdated sewage networks whose prospective age had passed and the lack of alternatives for these networks;
9- The abundant irregular and squat houses and the failure to deal with these illegal houses;
10- Rates of implementation for projects performed by the following bodies are lagging:
a- Baghdad Mayoralty: implementation rate was 45,76% for 2011, 30,24% for 2012 and 0,0% till 30/9/2013;
b- Ministry of Municipalities: implementation rate was 39,79% for 2011, 26,07% for 2012 and 22,01% till 30/9/2013;
11- The parties concerned failed to pay attention to the shortage in the number of specialized machines and vehicles (vacuum tankers/drainage tankers) at the Mayoralty of Baghdad and the Ministry of Municipalities. On discussing the issue with the parties concerned, they claim that the reason is the lack of allocations despite the fact that more than 70% of the appropriated budgets for these bodies are returned to the state treasury;
- At the end of the session, MP Viyan Dakheel read out the recommendations of the Committee for Services and Reconstruction:
1- To call on the Government and the parties concerned to take all necessary steps and precautionary measures in this regard and to send these as a plan to the CoR prepared by the Ministry of Municipalities and the Mayoralty of Baghdad;
2- To form an investigation committee at the CoR regarding the flooding of Baghdad and other governorates. This committee will demand holding delinquent senior officials accountable;
3- The Committee will stick to its previous request to relieve the current Mayor of Baghdad Mr. Naeem Aboub from his post;
4- To pay sufficient amounts of money in damages to the families aggrieved proportionate to the degree of damage;
5- To gradually dissolve the Ministry of Municipalities and Public works.
To enact the Law of the Capital (Mayoralty of Baghdad). |
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