» Home » Business News Iraq Directory Services Plans Subscription Contact us Site Map Help About Iraq Iraq's barrages to be repaired Baghdad Iraq's Ramadi Barrage, on the Euphrates River, is to be repaired at a cost of $3 million. "The repair work is scheduled to begin mid-April or May, pending SPCO approval and contractor selection, with a completion date of mid-April 2006," said Brian Anderson, US Army Corps of Engineers project engineer. "Repairing the barrage will provide jobs for the Iraqi people and ensure that it will operate properly for its designed purposes, which are irrigation and flood control," Anderson said. Barrages in Iraq are of critical national importance and key infrastructure significance for its people. The Ramadi Barrage is part of a sensitive system designed for flood control and irrigation storage that consists of the Warrar Inlet Canal structure, Al Duban Regulator and the Habbaniyah Reservoir. During the 1991 Gulf War, seven of the barrage's gates were damaged by air-to-ground missiles. The damaged gates were left in the down position resulting in a loss of performance, particularly during floodwater periods. "Currently, there are 17 operable gates that cannot handle the flood releases from Haditha Dam," said Anderson. "The barrage also has an inoperable navigation lock and an operating fish ladder. "Since there are seven closed inoperable gates, the structure is not performing as it was designed. To add to the problem the hydraulic characteristics around the barrage have changed, which could cause sedimentation at the inoperable gates. So, it's necessary to repair the gates to decrease upstream flooding," Anderson said. The Iraqi Ministry of Irrigation and Dams spent the last dozen years repairing the structure. The restoration work on the seven bays was nearly complete when the 2003 war halted installation of the hoisting equipment. "Inspection revealed that the gates are well lubricated and cared for other than paint for corrosion protection. "However, even though the 17 operable gates are greased and operate smoothly, there are other maintenance issues which have been neglected over the past 15 year," Anderson said. Source :Trade Arabia © 2002-2004 Iraq Directory - All Rights Reserved