[JURIST] Friday's field reports for Iraq are now available from the International Committee of the Red Cross [official website]. Their general observations:
Yesterday the ICRC received reports from different sources of severe water shortages in several governorates (Nalnawa, Kerbela, Dia Qar, Wasit) due either to failures of the national electricity grid, a reduction in the water supply to water treatment plants, or hostilities on the ground. As a result several urban centres such as Naseriyah and possibly Najaf and Kerbela have most likely now been without drinking water for several days.Read the complete text of Friday's ICRC field reports.
Also since yesterday telecommunications with Iraq have been disrupted, following reported attacks on communication facilities. As a result, the ICRC's delegation in Baghdad no longer has the use of normal land lines, and is now relying entirely on satellite phones. Information from our colleagues in Basra is therefore very limited in today's bulletin.