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CNN Saturday Morning News
Reconstruction of Baghdad is Coming Along Slowly
Aired May 10, 2003 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the latest on reconstruction in Iraq, we're going to go now to our John Vause in the Iraqi capital -- John, good morning.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Arthel.
Well, slowly and anything but surely, the reconstruction of Baghdad, at least, is underway. But as best we can tell, it's not being done by high paid American contractors, but rather it's being done by the Iraqis themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (voice-over): Almost all of Baghdad's most pressing problems can be traced here, to the Al Doura power plant. Along with its counterpart in the cities south, it's running at just 25 percent capacity. Before the war they were in the process of a major upgrade, but the German contractors fled before the bombs fell.
Ichmad Imar (ph) is in charge of maintenance here. He says just one generator is working, another may be repaired in three weeks, the other two are still six months away. The work, he says, is being done by Iraqis. No sign of any Americans. And even if this plant was running at full capacity, Imar says there are other, bigger problems.
Many power pylons have been damaged, cutting off power supplies from stations outside the city.
DR. KAZANCHI BASIL, HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR: Power plants in Baghdad cannot cover the whole city. Baghdad takes power from different plants, like Sayyab (ph), 70 kilometers south, and Baji (ph), 200 kilometers north.
VAUSE: And the power supply is the biggest issue. At Baghdad's biggest hospital, candles light stairwells. Wards are dark and empty. Patients wait in the lobby for hours, waiting for the lights and the medical equipment to work.
(on camera): Is it a life threatening situation for some patients?
BASIL: Yes, of course, because we are postponing the operations.
VAUSE (voice-over): Without regular power, the water treatment plant is relying on emergency generators.
Layla Al Athary is in charge of this station. She says the generators are now starting to break down.
LAYLA AL ATHARY: As you know, they're meant for emergency cases, not for 24 hour use for the last two months.
VAUSE: And while the U.S. soldiers maintain security by day, by night, we're told, without electricity for street lights, parts of the city are still violent and dangerous. Still, there's a certain calm normalcy here. Classes in many schools have resumed, even though the teachers say they haven't been paid for months, and cafes and markets are busy. But it seems the Americans and their billions of dollars for reconstruction for now are yet to be seen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And the retired U.S. general, Jay Garner, says he hopes that full electricity will be restored by the middle of next month. We will wait and see -- Arthel.
NEVILLE: OK, John Vause, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 10, 2003 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the latest on reconstruction in Iraq, we're going to go now to our John Vause in the Iraqi capital -- John, good morning.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Arthel.
Well, slowly and anything but surely, the reconstruction of Baghdad, at least, is underway. But as best we can tell, it's not being done by high paid American contractors, but rather it's being done by the Iraqis themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (voice-over): Almost all of Baghdad's most pressing problems can be traced here, to the Al Doura power plant. Along with its counterpart in the cities south, it's running at just 25 percent capacity. Before the war they were in the process of a major upgrade, but the German contractors fled before the bombs fell.
Ichmad Imar (ph) is in charge of maintenance here. He says just one generator is working, another may be repaired in three weeks, the other two are still six months away. The work, he says, is being done by Iraqis. No sign of any Americans. And even if this plant was running at full capacity, Imar says there are other, bigger problems.
Many power pylons have been damaged, cutting off power supplies from stations outside the city.
DR. KAZANCHI BASIL, HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR: Power plants in Baghdad cannot cover the whole city. Baghdad takes power from different plants, like Sayyab (ph), 70 kilometers south, and Baji (ph), 200 kilometers north.
VAUSE: And the power supply is the biggest issue. At Baghdad's biggest hospital, candles light stairwells. Wards are dark and empty. Patients wait in the lobby for hours, waiting for the lights and the medical equipment to work.
(on camera): Is it a life threatening situation for some patients?
BASIL: Yes, of course, because we are postponing the operations.
VAUSE (voice-over): Without regular power, the water treatment plant is relying on emergency generators.
Layla Al Athary is in charge of this station. She says the generators are now starting to break down.
LAYLA AL ATHARY: As you know, they're meant for emergency cases, not for 24 hour use for the last two months.
VAUSE: And while the U.S. soldiers maintain security by day, by night, we're told, without electricity for street lights, parts of the city are still violent and dangerous. Still, there's a certain calm normalcy here. Classes in many schools have resumed, even though the teachers say they haven't been paid for months, and cafes and markets are busy. But it seems the Americans and their billions of dollars for reconstruction for now are yet to be seen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And the retired U.S. general, Jay Garner, says he hopes that full electricity will be restored by the middle of next month. We will wait and see -- Arthel.
NEVILLE: OK, John Vause, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
