The New Security Beat is on a roll of late, most recently running this short interview with Iraq’s first Minister of the Environment, Mashkat Al Moumi:

NSB: Iraq’s water minister recently called the water infrastructure situation “a threat to national security.” Would you agree with that assessment?...

MM: I definitely agree with Minister Latif Rasheed on his analysis. The lack of proper infrastructure to supply water aggravates the population against the government. The water supply situation was critical when I was in office. For example, according to the Ministry of Water Resources only 32% of the Iraqi population enjoys access to safe drinking and 19% enjoys access to a good sewage system.

Stories like these are really bringing home the point that environment, development and security issues are so intertwined in many cities as to be essentially the same issue (though we still address them with professional-silo-defined solutions).