Shafaq News/ The British Ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, alongside a UN development delegation, toured water and electricity infrastructure projects in Tuz Khurmatu district in Saladin province on Tuesday, according to a statement by the district administration.

“Ambassador Hitchen and the UN delegation arrived in the town of Yankaja, west of Tuz Khurmatu, to assess the readiness and adequacy of water and electricity projects and to understand their alignment with the actual needs of the local population.”

During the visit, the British delegation, accompanied by local officials, walked through neighborhoods in Tuz Khurmatu, “underscoring efforts to bolster essential services across the district under provincial government directives.”

Among key discussions was the Tuz-Kifri Unified Water Project, where officials, including water and electricity department heads, highlighted the need for further resources. The district commissioner presented the ambassador with additional requests, emphasizing, “The pressing need to enhance service departments to meet the demands of our growing population and the district’s strategic importance.”

Local officials also stressed the “urgency of technical and logistical support for water, electricity, sanitation, health, education, communications, and agriculture departments to improve their interaction with residents.” The statement highlighted that essential services suffer due to inadequate support in specialized machinery and equipment.