Photo Information

HUSAYBAH, Iraq (April 23, 2004)- Local Iraqi engineers begin work on a broken water line that helps supply the city and its 100,000 residents with water. The city and Camp Gannon, the Marine base located on the city's edge, were without water for a week.. With the help of a local sheik,Task Force 3/2's Civil Affairs Group organized the water line's repair. Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel (RELEASED)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel

Task Force 3/2 restores water to Husaybah

14 May 2005 | Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel

Many people in the city of Husaybah were without running water for more than a week, bringing the city to a standstill until Task Force 3/2 restored hope.When Lt. Col. Timothy S. Mundy, commanding officer Task Force 3/2 found out the water was out in Husaybah, he ordered his staff to quickly restore water to the city. Marines with the 5th Civil Affairs Group (CAG) and 4th Combat Engineer Battalion (CEB) were dispatched to the city to work with the local Iraqis to fix the problem. Major Vince Sumang, the 5th CAG Team Leader in Al Qa’im, contacted a local sheik to arrange for workers and engineers from the Al Qa’im public works department to make the repairs. Until this coordination was made between the Marines and the sheik, repairs could not be made due to regular enemy activity in the vicinity of the pipeline break. At the same time, the Marines of 4th CEB prepared to make the necessary repairs. The damaged water pipeline supplies water to the city of Husaybah and is used for both consumption and agriculture in the area. But the water valve that connects to both the city water lines and the agriculture lines had to be shut down due to the break in the pipeline. “It’s important for us to work with the local Iraqis so they can fix these problems and don’t have to rely on us,” explained Staff Sgt. Christopher A. Griffith, the 5th CAG Team Chief said. According to Griffith, the local Iraqi engineers working on the water line are a symbol of the advancement for the Iraqi people in Al Qa’im. “This was an important project because coalition forces were able to work together with Iraqis to restore water to over 100,000 Iraqi citizens,” said Griffith. The repairs on the water line were estimated to take about a week to fix and the project was an important step in Coalition-Iraqi relations. With the help of Task Force 3/2, the Iraqi engineers fixed the water line and restored water to Husaybah in just a matter of days. Rajaa Nawaf Farhan, the Mayor of Al Qa’im, said he was grateful and thanked Mundy for the cooperation and assistance of his Marines.