Since Iraqi forces freed the eastern Anbar city of al-Karma from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) on May 23rd, the local administration has been working to ensure displaced residents will be able to return soon.

Al-Karma's administration and the Baghdad operations command have set July 1st as the date when they will begin to accept requests for return, local council head Qais Abdullah al-Jumaili told Mawtani.

Before utility repair work could begin, most streets and neighbourhoods needed to be cleared of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), he said.

"Al-Karma municipality personnel have started to remove war remnants and debris from roads and alleys with the limited capabilities available to them," he said, while service departments have initiated a reconstruction campaign.

A technical work team overseeing the repair of al-Karma's water plant is expected to complete its work any day now, he said, at which point "drinking water will start flowing to all parts of the city".

Engineers and technicians are making "exceptional efforts" to rehabilitate the electric power plant and distribution lines, he said, and are expected to complete their work in less than a month.

The city's police department has returned to work, he added, and all the remaining health institutions, schools, judiciary and civil departments are preparing to re-open their doors and provide services to returnees.

High hopes for the city's future

"We are optimistic about life returning to normal quickly in our city, especially since its service facilities and buildings have not suffered major destruction," al-Jumaili said.

Electricity services suffered the most damage, and to a lesser extent the water, agriculture and municipal sectors, al-Karma mayor Ahmed al-Halbousi told Mawtani.

A reconstruction and re-stabilisation team put together by al-Karma's local administration is overseeing the rehabilitation works, he said.

"We hope to restore the bulk of public and basic services before starting to bring back displaced city residents," he said.

Before ISIL overran al-Karma two years ago, al-Halbousi said, the city's population stood at about 130,000. Most left when ISIL arrived, and the small number who remained were evacuated to Fajr al-Karma camp in nearby al-Khairat when the military operations started.

In preparation for their return, al-Halbousi said, military forces have cleaned the city centre of explosive devices and unexploded ordnance.

This work is about half done in areas and villages around the city, he added, and is continuing "at a good pace".

Preparing for residents to return

Al-Karma municipality department personnel "are working as hard as they can to finish cleaning all neighbourhoods and streets in the city centre", said department director Ahed Mahmoud.

After the Iraqi army's 14th Division finished clearing and defusing booby-trapped houses in central al-Karma, the department began its work, he told Mawtani.

It has been forced to do this by hand, he noted, as most of the department's machines and bulldozers have been destroyed or stolen by ISIL.

"We are working with the simple machines we have got," he said. "We need more support in order to be able to remove debris and war remnants from areas on our city's outskirts."

"We have received promises for support from the province and from various government agencies, and we expect everybody to lend us a helping hand in order to speed up reconstruction efforts," Mahmoud added.

Large-scale campaigns must be organised to help provide better services to al-Karma residents upon their return, he said.