By Mokhles Khoshnaw
IRBIL, July 9 (KUNA) -- Iraq's Nineveh Governorate, whose liberation anniversary from the so-called Islamic State falls today on Friday, is witnessing unremitting efforts towards rebuilding and returning to normal life.
Mosul, the capital of the governorate, was liberated from those militants on July 10, 2017. The governorate, 402 kms from Baghdad, is the second biggest Iraqi cities and has three million population. It was under the IS militants' control during the period between 2014-2017. Speaking to KUNA in a statement, Nineveh's Governor Najm al-Jabouri said that the city's reconstruction process is underway through the local authorities' efforts supported by the central government in Baghdad and international community's contributions. He added that they inherited huge devastation due to the control of (IS) on the city and the fierce battles erupted in the liberation process, noting that the reconstruction is facing obstruction in the old city on the right side of Mosul and Sinjar district, which has a Yazidi majority. However, things are going well on the left side of the city, and the rest of the districts and districts, he said. "Three brides out of five have returned to service and the two others are under construction and will operate soon. Water network systems have been restored, in addition to electricity systems," he said. On the health sector, Al-Jabouri said that Republican Hospital and Ibn Sina Hospital will be reconstructed within Kuwait's contribution to rebuilding Iraq. He pointed out that many hospitals, containing more than 3,000 beds, returned to service and receive constantly patients. He attributed the slow reconstruction in the city to the insufficient funding, noting that experts evaluated the losses of the province's infrastructure at 15 billion dollars. Security is restored due to cooperation between citizens and security forces, in addition to the international coalition forces, he said, stressing that the governorate is safe and secured. On returning the displaced to their homes, Al-Jabouri elaborated that most of those displaced returned to their original places, except for the Yazidis who reside in shelter camps. The Yazidis, figuring about 74,000 families, could not return to Sinjar due to security situation and the presence of several armed groups. On providing services in the governorate, head of roads and bridges Abdelsattar Al-Habu said in a similar statement to KUNA that the municipality's bodies removed, in cooperation with several international and local organizations, thousands of tons of debris and provided services to Mosul's citizens. A number of roads and bridges have been established to serve people in the city, he noted. He pointed out that due to rubble and remnants of war, work in many areas, mainly the old city, goes slowly, pointing to an ambitious plan on implementing some key projects and an urban campaign in Mosul in the near future. The United Nations Development Program's report working to help the affected countries said more than 10,000 people were employed in rebuilding Mosul in 2017. The reconstruction process included schools, hospitals, water desalination facilities and power stations in wide areas of northern and western Iraq. Of the areas that have been mostly damaged by the war against IS militants was the old city of Mosul, the heart of the city's ancient historical heritage. The World Bank said restoring and preserving cultural and civilizational heritage are a crucial factor to reassure citizens that the reconstruction process is underway after the battles The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held a series of meetings on its special project entitled "reviving the spirituality of Mosul". Kuwait has contributed to the rebuilding efforts in Mosul by organizing an international conference for the reconstruction of the areas destroyed by the terrorist organization (ISIS). The participating countries at the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq in February 2018 pledged to provide the Iraqi government about USD 30 billion, in form of loans, credit facilities and investments, to help the country rebuild what has been destroyed by the war. UAE provided the biggest support worth USD 50.4 million at that conference to rebuild Al-Nuri Mosque and other facilities. Of the goals of UNESCO's Mosul initiative are reconstructing the historical buildings in the city and providing job opportunities for citizens to help them upgrade Mosul's economy and reach social reconciliation among the segments of society. Several local and international organizations are taking part in returning to normal life in governorate, mainly Mosul to show that it is recovering from the destruction caused by the war. (end) hm