This paper describes part of the emergency rehabilitation works in water sector in Southern Iraq, immediately after the Second Gulf War. The first section is a survey on surface water availability in Iraq, while the second section is focused on water resources in Basrah Governorate. The third one describes the main working principles of compact units (CU) and water treatment plants (WTP), focusing on the problems pointed out by CIRPS on field researcher during the assessment phase of the projects. In conclusion, some details of the rehabilitation process are described.