$950,000 for Karbala water projects

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: A total of $950,000 U.S. dollars has been allocated from the 2008 supplementary provincial development budget for water projects in western Karbala city. “New water networks will be installed in the neighborhoods of al-Askari and al-Qadissiya,” the head of the water department in western Karbala, Eng. Sajet Hit, told IraqiNews.com. The projects, approved by the provincial council, will be referred to companies and contractors, the official added. Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims’ holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. SS (P) 1