Corruption, 'ghost contractors' sink Baghdad after rains
After the first rainfall of the season, Iraqis have blamed flooding on corruption that is delaying construction projects.
BAGHDAD — The first rainfall of the season swept Iraqi cities Nov. 21, causing flooding in schools, houses and streets.
Siham Ahmed, a student from al-Diwaniya city south of Baghdad, couldn’t get to class since the roads flooded and the school itself was submerged. “The students’ school uniforms and books were ruined in the mud,” she told Al-Monitor.
The flooding of schools in al-Diwaniya and other parts of Iraq has become an annual phenomenon that local authorities have failed to resolve. A video of a school flooding in Basra province went viral on YouTube and Facebook. Ghayath, a digital activist, commented on the video: “Where is the custodian of Basra?” in reference to the Basra governor and officials.
As Iraqis wage war against the Islamic State (IS), they are also engaged in another war against nature, as streets, city centers and sewage systems flood. Financial corruption has stalled infrastructure projects, and Iraqi infrastructure has subsequently collapsed following first rainfall of the season.
