Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station
Encyclopedia
The Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station is a land drainage
pumping station
in Iraq 10km southeast of Nasiriyah
in the province of Dhi Qar. The station pumps farm run-off collected by the Main Outfall Drain (MOD) north of the Euphrates River in Dhi Qar and Muthanna provinces to a siphon
under the Euphrates where it is then returned to the MOD and eventually discharged in the Persian Gulf
. The pump station relieves water back-up and is a critical component of a larger agricultural drainage system
designed to drain 1.5 million hectares of land in order to reduce soil salinity. Consisting of 12 pump
s, each with a 20 m³/minute (316,000 gal/min) capacity, it is the largest drainage pump in the Middle East
.
in order to reclaim
the land for agriculture. His report recommended a complex of canal
s, sluices and dike
s on the lower portions of both the Tigris and Euphrates. In 1953, construction began on the Main Outfall Drain, also known as the Third River, which would drain water from the Central Marshes
through a canal and eventually into the Persian Gulf
. Construction on the Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station, which would serve to pump the water to a siphon under the Euphrates, did not begin until 1983. A Brazilian contractor worked on the pump station until 1986 when political upheaval forced a construction halt. Construction continued in 1992, the same year the MOD was completed, but was intermittent until 1999 because of flooding and structural failures. Aside from agriculture, the MOD was viewed as a tool for Saddam Hussein
to drain the Central Marshes in order to deny a refuge for Shia Muslims after the 1991 uprisings in Iraq
.
After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Washington International Inc.
a $78 million contract to complete the pump station. The original contract had included digging out the moth-balled pump station along with installing the internal electronic system, nine of the pumps, gates, and completing a major portion of the concrete siphon. Construction began again in August 2005 but problems with concrete and electrical components put the project over budget at $80 million. The increased costs led the Corps of Engineers and U.S. Government to terminate construction at 70% completion and transfer the project to the Government of Iraq. After the Iraq Government agreed, it was transitioned to their control on March 1, 2007. Later, in June 2007, Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources signed grant agreement for $20 million in U.S. funding that would help complete the pump station. The pump station opened on December 1, 2008 and was eventually completed in February 2009 but was originally projected to be completed on December 31, 2007.
Accompanying the pump station was an additional Corps of Engineers project, the Eastern Euphrates Drain (EED), which consisted of a series of drainage canals in Muthanna Province that eventually connected via one large canal to the MOD before reaching the pump station. The $38.5 million project was completed at the end of 2009. The EED is one of several canals connecting to the MOD and was specifically designed to reclaim 58,000 hectares of land and drain an additional 400,000. In total, the 240 m³/minute capacity pump station helps drain a 1.5 million hectare area via the MOD.
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
in Iraq 10km southeast of Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
in the province of Dhi Qar. The station pumps farm run-off collected by the Main Outfall Drain (MOD) north of the Euphrates River in Dhi Qar and Muthanna provinces to a siphon
Siphon
The word siphon is sometimes used to refer to a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. But in the English language today, the word siphon usually refers to a tube in an inverted U shape which causes a liquid to flow uphill, above the surface of the reservoir,...
under the Euphrates where it is then returned to the MOD and eventually discharged in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. The pump station relieves water back-up and is a critical component of a larger agricultural drainage system
Drainage system (Agriculture)
An agricultural drainage system is a system by which the water level on or in the soil is controlled to enhance agricultural crop production.-Classification:Figure 1 classifies the various types of drainage systems...
designed to drain 1.5 million hectares of land in order to reduce soil salinity. Consisting of 12 pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s, each with a 20 m³/minute (316,000 gal/min) capacity, it is the largest drainage pump in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
History
In 1951, British engineer Frank Haigh developed his Haigh Report for the Iraqi government which laid out drainage infrastructure for the Mesopotamian MarshesMesopotamian Marshes
The Mesopotamian Marshes are a wetland area located in southern Iraq and partially in southwestern Iran. Historically the marshlands, mainly composed of the separate but adjacent Central, Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes, used to be the largest wetland ecosystem of Western Eurasia...
in order to reclaim
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
the land for agriculture. His report recommended a complex of canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, sluices and dike
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
s on the lower portions of both the Tigris and Euphrates. In 1953, construction began on the Main Outfall Drain, also known as the Third River, which would drain water from the Central Marshes
Central Marshes
The Central or Qurna Marshes were a large complex of wetlands in Iraq that were part of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along with the Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes...
through a canal and eventually into the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. Construction on the Nasiriyah Drainage Pump Station, which would serve to pump the water to a siphon under the Euphrates, did not begin until 1983. A Brazilian contractor worked on the pump station until 1986 when political upheaval forced a construction halt. Construction continued in 1992, the same year the MOD was completed, but was intermittent until 1999 because of flooding and structural failures. Aside from agriculture, the MOD was viewed as a tool for Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
to drain the Central Marshes in order to deny a refuge for Shia Muslims after the 1991 uprisings in Iraq
1991 uprisings in Iraq
The 1991 uprisings in Iraq were a series of anti-governmental rebellions in southern and northern Iraq during the aftermath of the Gulf War. The revolt was fueled by the perception that the power of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was vulnerable at the time; as well as by heavily fueled anger at...
.
After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Washington International Inc.
Washington Group International
Washington Group International was an American corporation which provided integrated engineering, construction and management services to businesses and governments around the world. Based in Boise, Idaho, it had approximately 25,000 employees working in over 40 states and more than 30 countries...
a $78 million contract to complete the pump station. The original contract had included digging out the moth-balled pump station along with installing the internal electronic system, nine of the pumps, gates, and completing a major portion of the concrete siphon. Construction began again in August 2005 but problems with concrete and electrical components put the project over budget at $80 million. The increased costs led the Corps of Engineers and U.S. Government to terminate construction at 70% completion and transfer the project to the Government of Iraq. After the Iraq Government agreed, it was transitioned to their control on March 1, 2007. Later, in June 2007, Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources signed grant agreement for $20 million in U.S. funding that would help complete the pump station. The pump station opened on December 1, 2008 and was eventually completed in February 2009 but was originally projected to be completed on December 31, 2007.
Accompanying the pump station was an additional Corps of Engineers project, the Eastern Euphrates Drain (EED), which consisted of a series of drainage canals in Muthanna Province that eventually connected via one large canal to the MOD before reaching the pump station. The $38.5 million project was completed at the end of 2009. The EED is one of several canals connecting to the MOD and was specifically designed to reclaim 58,000 hectares of land and drain an additional 400,000. In total, the 240 m³/minute capacity pump station helps drain a 1.5 million hectare area via the MOD.