Five Kilometres of Hope: How a Water Pipe Changed Lives in Imam Gharbi

Rebuilding often starts with the details. In Imam Gharbi, a town in the Iraqi district of Qayyarah, five kilometres of water pipes were enough to improve the lives of thousands – and strengthen the social cohesion of an entire community.

If you want to understand how a few kilometres of pipe can improve the quality of life for thousands of people, you have to look at Imam Gharbi. The small town with a population of around 17,000 is located to the south of Mosul in the Qayyarah district of north-western Iraq. The climate there is subtropical and arid, with winters that tend to be short and extremely cold, together with brutally hot, long summers. Although the western bank of the Tigris lies only a few kilometres away, for a long time the town had no source of clean drinking water.

During the occupation, a period that lasted for around two years, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) destroyed large parts of Imam Gharbi’s infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, community centres and roads, partly in order to sabotage the advance of the Iraqi army. It is estimated that up to 80% of the inhabitants fled the villages and towns in the region. The Iraqi army finally succeeded in driving the terrorist organisation out of Imam Gharbi in the summer of 2017, leaving behind rubble and ruins, destroyed lives, and very little hope.

Everyone is lending a hand, many of them volunteering, to help bring the much-needed water pipeline to life. ©Abdullah Rasheed Al Bakri & Yasir Ahmed Salim/ GIZ

“Most people made a living through agriculture before ISIS destroyed everything,” says Ramadan Al-Subhan Al-Hamad Al-Razzez, speaking in early summer 2025, almost eight years later. He is the sheikh of Imam Gharbi, the chief official in charge of the town. “It was peaceful here, and we did well for ourselves.” Following the occupation, however, almost everyone lost their livelihoods. People found it difficult to take control of their lives again after fleeing, being displaced and having to return. Today, there are hardly any jobs in the area, there is little trust in the regional or state authorities, and there is still a great deal of mistrust among the people. This undermines social cohesion and makes life even more difficult.

The Struggle for Survival

“It’s incredibly hard,” says Al- Razzez. “People are trying to rebuild their lives. But the infrastructure is destroyed; there are hardly any services running; and families are suffering, especially those in need. Despite all the challenges, we are trying to persevere and move forward.”

The lack of water, however, has so far been the main obstacle thwarting the many efforts that have been made. Clean water, a universal human right, takes on a whole new meaning in climates where the temperature is around 45 degrees. People in Imam Gharbi only had access to contaminated, salty water unsuitable for either drinking or cooking, since chickpeas and beans do not soften when cooked in salted water. Some families who had just returned were forced to abandon their homes for the summer and find somewhere to live near fresh drinking water. Or they had to spend a fortune on bottled water. Yet a good and simple solution can be just around the corner. “Five kilometres of pipes were required to connect the water supply to a water source,” says sheik Al-Razzez. However, the authorities only agreed to finance 100 or 200 metres. “What good would that have been to anyone?”

Water is Essential

In discussions with various aid organisations, representatives from Imam Gharbi had repeatedly pointed out the catastrophic water supply. Eventually, Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) stepped in to help through its “Strengthening resilience in dealing with crises and conflicts in Nineveh (SRN), Iraq” programme and contacted the community. “The people here can cope with just about anything,” says Al-Razzez, emphatically. “We don’t need paved roads or a reliable power supply to survive. But water? Water is essential! GIZ was the only organisation that understood this.”

Water is life – and clearly, it brings a lot of joy, too. ©Abdullah Rasheed Al Bakri & Yasir Ahmed Salim/ GIZ

In consultation with local leaders, engineers assessed the situation and developed a plan to reconnect Imam Gharbi to a nearby water source. “They really listened to us and tried to understand the complexities we faced,” says Al- Razzez in summary. Consequently, five kilometres of pipes were laid, pumping stations were installed, and a pipeline was constructed to provide Imam Gharbi with water. The villagers actively got involved in the project, with many offering their labour voluntarily.

A Short Pipeline Makes a Big Difference

Five kilometres of pipes have changed everything. Of course, this is about water. But it’s also about peace with the neighbours and therefore about social cohesion in a small town that is only slowly recovering from ISIS terror and the aftermath of terrorist occupation. “Before this, we were constantly fighting over the little water there was available. Now we no longer argue. There is enough for everyone, which has made people more relaxed and cooperative,” says Al-Razzez. The small town and its residents can now put their energy into other things, such as growing food, running their homes and rebuilding the town. “They even have time for their children again,” says Al- Razzez, smiling.

It will take a lot longer before everything is back to normal in Imam Gharbi – if it ever does return to its previous existence after ISIS occupation. But water – water is life. And Imam Gharbi can at least look ahead again.