Water crisis relief: Basra inks deal for desalination project
On Friday, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani announced the awarding of a seawater desalination project with a daily capacity of one million cubic meters to a coalition of Al-Ridha Group and China's PowerChina, experts in regional water infrastructure.
In a statement, the governor explained that the strategic project includes three main components: an advanced reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant, a dedicated power station to supply the necessary energy, and 240 kilometers of pipelines to transport water to nine key distribution points across the province.
'The goal is to secure a sustainable and high-quality water supply for the people of Basra,' Al-Eidani noted, stressing that 'This project represents one of the most important infrastructure investments in the province's recent history.'
The selected Chinese company, El-Eidani added, brings extensive experience in water infrastructure, with more than seven completed projects across the region. These include the Al-Tawila plant in Abu Dhabi—the world's largest reverse osmosis facility with a capacity of 900,000 cubic meters per day—as well as the third phase of the Rabigh project and the Jubail plant in Saudi Arabia, each with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day.
'We chose a partner with a proven track record at this scale,' he noted, highlighting the technical weight behind the selection.
This project comes amid Basra continues to face a drinking water crisis compounded by rising pollution levels in both water and air. Since early this year, protests have erupted, especially in northern areas, in response to water scarcity and an increase in respiratory and skin diseases linked to pollution.
Additionally, the intrusion of saline seawater into the Shatt al-Arab river has worsened the shortage of potable water and affected agricultural irrigation, further straining the province's already fragile water resources.
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