Basra launches the largest seawater desalination project using reverse osmosis technology.
Basra launches the largest seawater desalination project using reverse osmosis technology.
2025-10-19
Shafaq News – Basra
Basra’s local government chief, Asaad Al-Eidani, laid the foundation stone on Sunday for a seawater desalination project using reverse osmosis (RO) technology. The project is one of the largest service projects in the province, aiming to provide approximately 300,000 people with clean drinking water as part of government efforts to address the chronic salinity crisis plaguing large areas of the province.
Al-Eidani told Shafaq News Agency, “The project represents a strategic step towards securing potable water for Basra’s citizens. It will contribute to ending the suffering of residents from salinity and fluctuating water supplies in some areas of the governorate, by adopting a modern technology that meets international standards for seawater desalination.”
According to Al-Eidani, “The project will be built on an area of 50,000 square meters near the Al-Kazira storage facilities. It includes a pumping station with a capacity of 8,000 cubic meters per hour and a main desalination plant with a production capacity of up to 3,000 cubic meters per hour of potable water. The plant is designed to treat water with a salinity of up to 35,000 parts per million.”
“The project will take 700 days to complete, and includes the design, procurement, implementation, and operation phases, in addition to maintenance work that will continue for five years after completion,” according to the local government head.
Over the past few days, Basra Governorate has witnessed popular demonstrations in the areas of Al-Tamimiyyah, Al-Hayaniyah, and Al-Ashar. Main streets witnessed burning tires and partial traffic disruption in protest against the worsening water salinity crisis.
Meanwhile, residents of Shatt al-Arab district, east of Basra Governorate in southern Iraq, have given the local government a four-day deadline to find radical solutions to alleviate the water salinity crisis, which has worsened in recent days.
shafaq.com
