Iraq struggles to maintain U.S. projects

BAGHDAD, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Iraq may be unable to maintain many of the electricity generating plants and other reconstruction projects built by the U.S. government, authorities say.

Since the 2003 U.S-led invasion, the U.S. government has spent $53 billion for relief and construction efforts, including tens of thousands of electricity substations, water treatment plants, hospitals, schools, roads and bridges.

U.S. forces are to begin withdrawing in large numbers in 2010 with not enough Iraqis trained to operate the more sophisticated projects and not enough money in the Iraqi budget to fund training and operation, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said.

A $270 million water treatment plant in Nasiriya is running at a fraction of its capacity because Iraqi workers don't know how to operate it. In Hilla, a $4 million maternity hospital has opened, but the staff doesn't know how to operate much of the equipment, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Despite billions of U.S. dollars spent, more than 40 percent of Iraqis still lack access to clean water and 90 percent of Iraq's hospitals lack basic medical and surgical supplies, authorities said.