Baghdad: The General Directorate of Water, affiliated with the Ministry of Construction and Housing, confirmed on Wednesday the implementation of a comprehensive service plan to provide potable water to pilgrims visiting the shrine of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) for the Arba'een commemoration in Najaf. The directorate also indicated the deployment of water tankers and the monitoring of water quality along the Najaf-Karbala axis.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a statement from the directorate indicated that "Director General of the General Directorate of Water, Ammar Adel Hussein, representing the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Municipalities on the Higher Service Committee for the Million-Person Pilgrimages, monitored the implementation of the service plan prepared by the directorate from the operations room of the Najaf Water Directorate, with the support of water directorates in other governorates, in the presence of the Director of Najaf Water, Engineer Mahdi Halis Al-Hatimi."

The statement added that "the tour included monitoring the work of support staff, reviewing the service delivery mechanism, and directly supervising the efforts of the water tankers to secure potable water for the Husseini processions and pilgrims traveling from Najaf to Karbala."

The statement quoted the Director General of the General Directorate of Water as saying, "The Directorate has provided a number of water tankers along the Najaf-Karbala axis, while continuing to monitor and test the quantities of water produced and ensure its quality." He explained that "the holy city of Najaf receives large numbers of visitors throughout the year, especially during the major pilgrimages, which requires exceptional efforts to ensure the provision of drinking water and the success of the service plan for the Arba'een pilgrimage."