MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of people poisoned by polluted drinking water in the Iraqi southern Basra province has reached 111,000, media reported citing a statement by UN Iraqi envoy Mehdi Tamimi.
Media reported in August that 17,000 people were admitted to hospitals over illnesses contracted from polluted water.
Tamimi called on the central government and local authorities to adopt a clear position on the issue, according to the Al Sumaria broadcaster.
Mass protests erupted in Basra in July, and finding a solution to the water crisis was one of the demands of protesters, who also called on the government to address unemployment and the electricity shortage.