(26 Jun 2024)
IRAQ HEATWAVE
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 3:26
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq – 26 June 2024
1. Various of people diving into the Tigris River from a large rock locally called "Amsinya"
2. Various of people swimming in river
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Murtada Qassim, Baghdad resident:
"For twenty years or more, we have been suffering from power outages. Although we are an oil-producing country, we import electricity. So we come here to swim even though the water is polluted, because we do not have the (financial) means to go to a pool. We are a large group, so we come here to cool off."
4. Various of men working in bakery
5. Pan from fire inside stone oven to Baker working by oven
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abdul Hassan, Baker:
"The temperature outside (the bakery) is very high, and here it is even higher. However, I work in this oven to make a living and support my family. I have no other job. My livelihood depends on my work in the bakery. Thank God for everything."
7. Various of people passing by and standing in front of sprinklers to cool off at the Sinak market in central Baghdad
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abu Ali, (no full name given), Baghdad resident:
"I’m one of the many people who came to shop here, and it’s hot. We’re grateful to the shop owners for installing these sprinklers for people to cool off. The weather is hot, exceeding 50 (degrees Celsius/ 122 degrees Fahrenheit). In previous years, temperatures did not reach 50 degrees in June, but this year, due to climate change, as well as the lack of urban greening and the conversion of agricultural lands into residential areas, temperatures have risen, especially in Baghdad."
9. Various of cluster of cables that residents use to access electricity from local generators
10. Various of cluster of cables hanging close to homes
11. Various of Local generator which provides electricity to homes
12. Various of generator operator switching generator on to provide electricity to homes
13. Various of man spraying his daughter with water from hose to cool off
14. Various of worker spraying his face with water to cool off
STORYLINE:
As daytime temperatures regularly soar around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, residents are doing all they can to stay cool.
Some men and boys take a dip in the Tigris River, normally considered too dirty to swim in, but with the ongoing heatwave and electricity shortages making air conditioning scarce, it becomes a good escape.
The heatwaves in Iraq are an addition to the population’s hardships as the country suffers from regular power cuts.
Even small businesses in Baghdad are struggling to cope with the scorching heat.
Staff working in bakeries say they have no option but to keep working in extremely hot environments.
"I have no other job. My livelihood depends on my work in the bakery," said Mahmoud Abdul Hassan, a baker in Baghdad.
At the capital’s commercial hub of Sinak, shop owners have set up makeshift sprinkler systems and fans in the absence of a proper air conditioning system to help customers cool off.
A few moments in front of a fan provide some respite from the heatwave.
Iraqis have suffered from power shortages for decades as the infrastructure suffered from neglect brought on by wars and U.N. trade sanctions under Saddam Hussein.
Over the years, Iraqis’ patience has been running thin over the successive governments’ failure to provide reliable electricity.
AP video shot by Ali Jabar
Production: Ahmed Sami
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