Vital Water Resources Given Back To Jisr Diyala Region
The reopening of the local Arafia Canal has led to water being made available for irrigation to more than 300 area families. The canal has carried water for irrigation in the past but it has fallen into disrepair. Members of Coalition forces from the 35th Armor Regiment, 1st Battalion worked in recent months to help direct and oversee clean up and repair of the canal and irrigation pathway itself.
Iraqi locals including members of the Sons of Iraq, Local Iraqi Security forces, and leaders in the Jisr Diyala Nahia Council all gathered along with members of the coalition for the ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the canal. The new repairs to the Arafia Canal include a number of pumps to raise the water and a concrete lining over much of the Canal surface.
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The idea for the repairs came from the Iraqi Citizens themselves. All of the contact and arraingements were supplied by members of the Iraqi community; the coalition just supplied influence and money to help make it happen. This is a story about a community pulling together to make a repair issue come to fruition.
“This is all the result of the Iraqi people doing the labor and pulling together,” said 1st Lieutenant Jeff Ritter, operations officer for the 3-1st Cavalry Regiment. “We just worked to help it come together but the impetus is from the local citizens themselves.” Said Ritter.