Iraq News
Security

Restoration of public services helps Ramadi recovery from ISIL occupation

By Khalid al-Taie

Services have resumed at the Ramadi Gas Plant, where rehabilitation work has been completed following the ouster of the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant'. [Photo courtesy of the Iraqi Oil Products Distribution Company]

Services have resumed at the Ramadi Gas Plant, where rehabilitation work has been completed following the ouster of the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant'. [Photo courtesy of the Iraqi Oil Products Distribution Company]

Ever since the final pockets of "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) fighters were driven from Ramadi at the beginning of the year, an accelerated campaign to restore public services has been under way in the city.

Among the top priorities was the restoration of gas and cooking oil services and facilities, a task which has been successfully completed by Oil Ministry engineering and technical personnel.

"After Ramadi was secured by the security forces, our company mobilised all its resources to start rehabilitating its service facilities," said Ali Jubair al-Aboodi, manager of the government-owned Gas Filling Company.

"Our first step was to send specialised teams to find out the nature of the existing damages and determine priorities, work requirements and procedures to start the reconstruction plan," he told Mawtani.

Rehabilitation work began with the Ramadi Gas Plant, the largest cooking gas producing plant in Anbar, which had suffered from ISIL sabotage, he said.

"After preparing the reviews, our engineering teams, with help from the security forces, embarked on a reconstruction campaign," he said.

This included rehabilitating damaged production lines and machinery and repairing warehouses and adjunct buildings, he explained.

"The plant is currently back at maximum production capacity of 15,000 (12 kilogramme) gas cylinders a day," al-Aboodi said.

This has relieved the pressure on returning Ramadi residents and those in displacement camps who are in need of cooking gas cylinders, he added.

Further rehabilitation work planned

"Soon we will finish rehabilitating other gas plants in Ramadi as well as in liberated areas of Anbar, including the plant in al-Rutba, which has a production capacity of 4,000 cylinders a day," al-Aboodi said.

The Ramadi gas plant is fully operational as its rehabilitation has been completed, said Faisal Mukhlif, manager of the Oil Products Distribution Company in Anbar.

"The supply of gas to the plant is going in an orderly, smooth fashion by way of gas tankers that transport gas from supply stations in Baghdad to the factory to be packaged in cylinders and delivered to citizens on a daily basis," he told Mawtani.

Stations supplying gas and kerosene cylinders have been repaired and reopened in Ramadi, he said, including the new Ramadi station and the Kilo-160 station, as well as main state stations in Heet, Haditha and al-Rutba.

"We are working to fill the need and provide these derivatives to residents who have returned to liberated cities," he said. "We also continue to provide displaced families in camps in Anbar with the various oil products they need."

Ramadi is beginning to recover

Ramadi is gradually recovering from the war, mayor Ibrahim al-Awsaj told Mawtani.

Services such as water and electricity have been resumed, and the work to clean the city streets has been completed, he said.

With as many as 37,000 families returning to Ramadi, he said, efforts to provide the returnees with all other basic services have started to intensify.

Foremost among these is oil derivatives, he added, "which have a direct impact on people's life and everyday movements".

"The city's gas filling plant has now been reactivated with exceptional work by Oil Ministry teams," al-Awsaj said. "This service facility has started to cover the needs of the population in Ramadi and neighbouring areas."

Work is under way to rehabilitate three other secondary gas plants in the east and west of the city, he added, and the reactivation of these facilities "will help us cover the growing need of gas cylinders as more displaced families are returning".

"As for kerosene, there are good amounts available in warehouses in southern Ramadi and citizens will be provided this material to meet their need, which grows considerably during winter," al-Awsaj said.

"We have also to provide gas for cars to citizens, and work is under way to resume all semblance of normal life in Ramadi," he added.

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