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Home More News Previously in the News Iraq Water
AWWA
PROVIDES TRAINING MATERIALS TO REBUILD IRAQ WATER SYSTEM
DVDs and Manuals to Provide Engineers and Operators with Critical
Guidance
DENVER - December 16, 2003 - - The American Water Works Association
(AWWA) is tapping into its vast reservoir of drinking water expertise
to
help rebuild Iraq's aging and war-torn water system.
AWWA this week delivered to the Baghdad Water Authority thousands
of
dollars in DVDs, books, manuals, journals and other resources to
assist
water engineers and operators working to restore Iraq's water
operations. The country's deteriorating water infrastructure is
in
severe disrepair due to inadequate maintenance and the effects of
war.
AWWA provided multiple titles from its extensive video training
library
to assist in the short-term and long-term rebuilding of the Iraq
water
supply and distribution systems. Because there are few VCRs in Iraq,
multi-media expert Allied Vaughn converted the videos to DVD format
free
of charge. Engineers and operators in Iraq can now take advantage
of the
training through laptop computers.
"AWWA has remained committed to assist in the efforts to bring
safe
water to the people of Iraq," said AWWA Executive Director
Jack
Hoffbuhr. "We are honored that we were able to provide our
extensive
training resources where they are needed most, and grateful to Allied
Vaughn for their generous support. A safe and adequate water supply
is
critical to the rebuilding of Iraq."
Many of the training titles sent to Iraq are part of AWWA's Water
Supply Operations series and cover topics ranging from chlorine
safety
to leak detection and repair. The training materials were compiled
after
AWWA was contacted by Research Triangle Institute (RTI), which is
charged with providing Iraqi officials with the knowledge, skills
and
abilities to repair and sustain Iraqi water systems. RTI has been
contracted by the U.S. Agency of International Development to assist
in
Iraq.
Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit
scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe drinking
water
in North America. AWWA has over 57,000 members worldwide, and its
4,700
utility members serve 80 percent of America's population. AWWA's
training resources include a Bookstore Catalog with more than 500
titles.
