Shafaq News/ Iraq’s al-Diwaniyah province, the country’s third poorest, faces mounting developmental challenges as infrastructure, healthcare, and education deficiencies continue to impact residents.
The Director of Statistics in Al-Qadisiyah, Mohammed Abdul Murshid Al-Ziyadi, told Shafaq News that while Iraq’s latest census did not provide specific population figures per province, al-Diwaniyah’s poverty rate has decreased from 47.8% to 29%.
“It remains one of Iraq’s most impoverished regions, following Muthanna and Babil,” he said.
As for healthcare, Al-Ziyadi highlighted a critical shortage of hospitals. “Al-Diwaniyah has only five hospitals, while international standards suggest at least one per 50,000 people,” he noted, stressing the urgent need for additional hospitals as the city center has just one general hospital, a maternity and pediatric hospital, and a small facility named ‘Al-Hussein Hospital,’ which are insufficient for over 500,000 residents.
The city center alone requires at least three more hospitals due to rising population pressure, he added.
Regarding education, Al-Ziyadi noted ongoing school projects, including some built by Chinese firms, but many remain unfinished. “Al-Diwaniyah requires more schools, particularly in rural areas and high-density neighborhoods, although school enrollment remains high at 95%,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Provincial Council member Ahmed Al-Budairi pointed out the province’s infrastructure challenges underscored by long-delayed projects such as the ‘Great al-Diwaniyah Sewerage Project,’ initiated in 2011 by Al-Rafidain Company but stalled until 2021-2022.
“Poor infrastructure planning has prevented road paving and water network development,” Al-Budairi told Shafaq News, adding that the Prime Minister’s Office intervened to terminate Al-Rafidain’s contract, transferring the project to Noor Al-Ufuq Company, which also failed to deliver.
The official clarified that the project, assigned to a Spanish firm, has faced scrutiny over material quality and execution delays. Of 42 designated neighborhoods, only 12 have been completed, leading to widespread protests. The government eventually terminated the Spanish company’s contract, he added.
“The remaining 30 neighborhoods have been reassigned to other companies, following an intervention by the Minister of Construction and Housing.”
According to Mohammed Al-Khazaai, Qaimaqam of Ghammas area, Al-Diwaniyah remains an agrarian province, with 60% of its population engaged in farming. “Despite cultivating 55,000 dunams of wheat and barley and 45,000 dunams for rice, agricultural productivity suffers due to pesticide and fertilizer shortages,” he remarked.
In addition to agriculture, tourism remains minimal, with Ghammas alone having 25 archaeological sites, including Sumer and Shukhair Castle, the qaymaqam stated. “The Delmuj marshes, shared with Wasit and Dhi Qar, could be developed as an attraction, but neglect and administrative obstacles persist,” he explained.
Speaking with Shafaq News, Al-Khazaai emphasized the need for administrative decentralization. Iraq’s governance structure allows financial and administrative independence for local units, but these rights have not been fully implemented in 22 years.
“A proposal to grant greater autonomy is in its final drafting stage,” he said, hoping for improved governance.