Trying to Fix Baghdad
When it comes to problems with water, sewage, trash, and more, Brig. Gen. James Milano is on the case
Asked what most surprised Milano on this, his first tour in the country, he talks about the trash. "It's everywhere and only causes more problems," he says. Then he adds what many soldiers here think but rarely say aloud. "If we could get everyone to stop standing around staring at all the trash and start picking it up, we'd be further along."
Realizing the critical nature of the problems, the Iraqi government declared 2008 to be the "'year of essential services" and has worked to reconcile sectarian divides that often interfere with the equitable distribution of resources. Services are often weapons of low-grade conflict. Some residents in Sunni areas, for instance, complain that the water pumps located in the Shiite section of town have been deliberately turned up too high, bursting pipes in the Sunni areas and overloading the sewers.
To resolve the endless issues, the government of Nouri al-Maliki has appointed a special council to oversee the process and meet regularly with Milano. The council's newest representative is Ahmed Chalabi, the controversial and often reviled secular Shiite who was well known in Washington for advocating regime change in Iraq. "I know the reputation he has here and back in the United States," Milano says, "but thus far he seems committed to working out these issues." Right now, Milano will take any help he can get.
advertisement
