Iraq Still Plagued by Poor Water Quality

Nov. 2, 2003 -- -- Five teams of reporters from ABCNEWS and Time asked Iraqis across the country about the water situation: Has it improved? Worsened? Or have things remained roughly as they were, before the war began?

Northern Iraq: Same

Central Iraq: Same or Worse

Southern Iraq: Same or Worse

Before the war, poor water quality was the leading cause of disease among children and hospitalization in Iraq, and this remains true today.

As in the case in our health-care assessment, it is worth remembering that shortages of clean water and widespread contamination in the prewar period were blamed on the U.N. sanctions.

The war caused disruptions in supplies, labor and electricity at treatment plants; water infrastructure was damaged by looting immediately following the war. Sewage plants are not expected to be functioning at prewar levels until summer or fall of 2004.

Access to Water:Currently, 60 percent of Iraqis in Baghdad receive "necessary amounts of water," which is 90 percent of prewar distribution.(Source: Coalition Provisional Authority)

Water-related Infrastructure:40 percent of water networks were damaged during the war (Source: UNICEF)

Sewage:Prewar: Seventy-five percent to 80 percent of Iraqis in Baghdad received sewage treatment from three plants. These plants were rendered useless during the war and remain so.(Source: Coalition Provisional Authority)

Editor's Note: This is not a full-fledged, comprehensive poll. But as ABCNEWS and Time review the reporting, research, and surveys completed on the ground, this may be one of the most comprehensive reporting efforts undertaken since the beginning of the Iraq war.