Residents say unfinished Basra infrastructure project is a hazard

BASRA, August 28 — Residents of Basra’s Al-Naherat district have lodged complaints against the company responsible for the Al-Qurna Al-Kabeer project — a stalled infrastructure project worth 388 billion Iraqi dinars that has reportedly left roads unfinished with dangerous and shoddy fixes.

Local resident Nael Khalil told 964: “The entire Al-Naherat area has been devastated, and it seems that the Al-Jeedar Al-Saned company is incapable of executing the Al-Qurna Al-Kabeer infrastructure project.”

Khalil says the company has used tree trunks, bricks, and sticks as barriers signaling roadwork instead of proper, visible signage.

“Is it reasonable to resort to such primitive means? We fear for our children’s safety,” he said, adding that road excavations were causing damage to cars.

Haider Saad, another resident in the area, said: “We see mud and flooding everyday in front of my house. I’m now worried about my children because of overflowing sewage.”

“Everyone is well aware of the damage inflicted on the neighborhoods near the project,” he added.

An official source from the Al-Jeedar Al-Saned responded to inquiries from 964:

We don’t deny the existence of shortcomings in the project, but the blame is not solely on the company.

We can’t complete the pavement at this time because the road designs in the project differ from the current roads. This is not the fault of the executing company.

The resident engineer is affiliated with the Khateeb & Aalami company, which developed the project’s designs. Additionally, there are violations that have not been removed by the municipality so far.

A joint committee has been formed by the municipality, the sub-governorate, and the executing company to rectify the violations and monitor the work.

Regarding safety measures, we are working to improve this aspect. Mistakes do occur, especially when machinery is operated without engineers present.

We assure residents that we will work to address all issues in the coming period.