IRAQ: Shortfall in refined oil products forcing Iraqis to abandon homes and emigrate to more dangerous regions

Record ID: 785213

  • Title: IRAQ: Shortfall in refined oil products forcing Iraqis to abandon homes and emigrate to more dangerous regions
  • Date: 16th September 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AMIRIYAT AL-FALLUJA FARMER MAHMOUD KLEIB SAQAR SAYING: "Life is expensive here and farming isn't worth while. But people who have a steady income can come and risk it here. I have five fields. I neglect four and plant only one, which I'm living off now. I deserted four fields and plant this piece of land only." VARIOUS OF LABOURERS PLANTING ONIONS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AMIRIYAT AL-FALLUJA FARMER MAHMOUD KLEIB SAQAR SAYING: "People have started emigrating from this area to the cities. This is a big problem here. There are areas that have been completely deserted because of chronic gas shortages. This situation is obvious to everyone. Those who do not have money can't endure life here." VARIOUS OF LABOURERS SOWING ONIONS
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVATD7TQ2BILSAA8TW01X3SNXJH
  • Story Text: Shortage of refined oil products in Iraq, home to the world's third largest oil reserves, has led many residents of the village of Amiriyat al-Falluja in the western Anbar province to abandon their homes and emigrate to nearby cities.
    Iraqis are increasingly forced to depend on costly imports because of an acute shortage of refined products such as gasoline and cooking gas.
    Sabotage of pipelines by insurgents and ageing refineries are factors which have led to the shortage.
    Amiriyat al-Falluja and other parts of the Anbar province rely heavily on agriculture. But land owners can no longer afford to irrigate their farms, as water pumps are gas-operated, and gas is an energy supply which is becoming increasingly costly.
    Hundreds of poor families who live in mud-huts and whose earnings rely solely on agricultural work are being forced to leave the area and make homes in surrounding towns.
    Local farmer Naji Bedewi who has lived in the region for over 20 years is one of the many residents facing this hardship.
    "It's no longer worth it because there is no gas, so how are you going to (work the pumps to) get water to irrigate the plants? You can't do it. For the past four or five years, I haven't planted anything. I just planted a little bit of animal fodder, and I can't even manage that. I buy a jerrycan (of gas) for 25 or 30 thousand (Iraqi dinars, about 20 U.S. dollars) to work the water pump so that I can water this little bit of fodder. I can't afford anymore to irrigate a big piece of land," he told Reuters.
    Many have to wait in long queues for hours on end, or alternatively rely on the black market, to obtain gas cans, a more expensive option to fuel the water pumps.
    Mahmoud Kleib Saqar, who used to plant five fields outside Amiriyat al-Falluja, has been forced to leave four of them unplated due to the fuel crisis.
    "Life is expensive here and farming isn't worth while. But people who have a steady income can come and risk it here. I have five fields. I neglect four and plant only one, which I'm living off now. I deserted four fields and plant this piece of land only," Saqar said.
    The farmers who have stayed on opt for crops which require less water such as onions, wheat and barely.
    "People have started emigrating from this area to the cities. This is a big problem here. These are areas that have been completely deserted because of chronic gas shortages. This situation is obvious to everyone. Those who do not have money cannot endure life here," Saqar added.
    Those who fled their houses and lands have either moved either to Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province, or to the war-torn city of Falluja, another city in the province, despite the fact that continued violence means the two cities are dangerous.
    Falluja was devastated in April 2004 when U.S. troops launched a major attack on insurgents in the area. The attack left 70 percent of the city destroyed. The city's fate worsened after a second U.S.-led assault in November 2004.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register