Presentation Ceremony of Water Tankers in Samawa, Iraq

March 10, 2004

1. A ceremony to present 12 water tankers which will be provided to the Water Department of the Governorate of Al-Muthanna in accordance with Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects was held for about an hour from 21:00 (15:00 local time) on March 10 (Wed) at the Governor's office in Samawa.
   
   
2. This was a joint presentation ceremony with the Dutch military, which provided 10 water tankers. The ceremony was attended on the Iraqi side by the Governor of Al-Muthanna, the Director-General and officials of the Water Department, and on the Japanese side by officials of the Samawa office of the Foreign Ministry and representatives of the Ground Self Defense Forces. Officials concerned from the Dutch military also participated.
   
   
3. The 12 water tankers (eight 10,000-liter and four 9,000-liter tankers) provided by Japan can carry a total of about 116 tons of water. It is expected that the Water Department will make use of these tankers in cooperation with Japan's SDF, which is purifiying about 70 tons of water a day. About 200,000 people in Samawa, a major city in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, and its vicinity will be provided with clean water.

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