Shafaq News- Babil

Drinking water produced by treatment facilities in Iraq’s Babil province contains “serious” contamination, Hussein Al-Mankoushi, head of the provincial Health Committee, warned on Wednesday, citing coliform bacteria and irregular chemical and physical readings.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Al-Mankoushi said the findings were based on monitoring conducted over two years and seven months, explaining that coliform bacteria can indicate the possible presence of other bacterial contaminants.

According to the committee’s findings, more than 50% of the province’s water facilities do not regularly use chlorine or hypochlorite disinfectants, sometimes limiting their use to a single batch of water. Oversight also weakens after official working hours, leaving some facilities functioning more as pumping stations than as proper water treatment plants.

On river pollution, authorities working with the Environment Directorate monitored more than 36 drainage outlets across Babil and closed most of them, leaving two in Hilla, the provincial capital. Waste discharged into local waterways has also become limited compared with pollution entering the province from elsewhere.

Al-Mankoushi also raised concerns about increasing kidney failure cases, particularly in southern Babil, without establishing a direct link to drinking water contamination.

The committee submitted proposals to the relevant water authorities more than 18 months ago, but the situation remains unchanged, according to Al-Mankoushi. He called for regular testing, tighter oversight, and consistent disinfection and treatment procedures.

Read more: Toxic sewage flows overwhelm Iraq’s declining waterways