Shafaq News- Diyala
A water supply project in Jadidat al-Shatt in Iraq's eastern Diyala province remains unfinished 14 years after construction began, despite an original completion timeline of 390 days, the sub-district administration told Shafaq News on Friday.
Awarded to a French company in 2012, the project was initially scheduled for completion within 390 days. Construction stalled because of technical and field-related problems before Al-Faw General Company, a state-owned firm under the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities, took over the remaining work.
The project has cost about 50 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $38 million), with more than 90% of the funds already disbursed. Physical completion has increased only marginally over the past year, from 90% to 93%.
Originally designed to produce 4,000 cubic meters of water per hour, the plant's planned capacity was later reduced to 2,000 cubic meters per hour. Once operational, it is expected to supply drinking water to more than 70,000 residents in Jadidat al-Shatt and neighboring Habhab.
The facility has yet to be handed over to Diyala's Water Directorate because construction remains incomplete and the contractor has not fulfilled all operational requirements.
Sub-district Director Talib Al-Khazraji urged the relevant authorities to complete the remaining work and transfer the project to the Water Directorate so it can begin supplying areas suffering from water shortages.
No timeline has been announced for the project's completion or handover.
