12-16-2003
Guest Column: Saddam the Sewer Rat
By Derek C. Schneider
How are the mighty fallen ? II Samuel 1:25
?He was just caught like a rat? was how Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, described the capture of Saddam Hussein. Caught like a ?sewer rat? is closer to the truth.
That?s because in all likelihood the hole in which Saddam was hiding was not a specially built ?spider hole? as commentators and even many soldiers believed.
Based on my own recent work in Iraq, I know that Saddam Hussein?s last place of refuge was a septic tank.
During my tour in Iraq, I managed 75 reconstruction projects with the 4th Infantry Division in the ?Sunni Triangle? near to where Saddam was captured. These projects included sewage disposal and sewage treatment systems, along with the refurbishment and construction of many septic tank systems. The cramped underground chamber next to the hut where Saddam had been hiding matches a common septic tank design found everywhere in Iraq.
Here is a passage I wrote for the U.S. Army?s ?Iraqi Construction Assessment Guide?:
?The most common form of sewage system outside of the biggest cities would be a septic tank. Septic tanks are not like the ones found in the U.S. They come in two basic forms, block or metal tank. In the block type, a hole is dug into the earth next to the building. Then an Iraqi cinderblock, brick or concrete block structure is built. The bricks or blocks are covered with mortar to make a smooth surface. It is covered with a solid or beam concrete ceiling similar to other structures. Into this the main or sub-main drainage lines are run. A small metal hatch is usually put into the ceiling of the tank to allow the tank to be emptied when full.?
In rural Iraq where Saddam was captured, there is no sewage treatment available. Most Iraqis build their own version of a septic tank to dispose of their waste. These are built by first digging a hole in the ground about 1-2 meters deep. The hole is then lined with bricks or concrete cinder blocks to form walls. In areas where there are no vacuum trucks to suck up the sewage, the bottom of the tank is not sealed with bricks but left open to the dirt.
This allows for the liquid waste to soak into the ground as a form of leach field. Often salt is added to the dirt bottom to assist in the break up of the waste material. The bricks are covered with mortar to form a smooth waterproof surface to keep the
waste from sticking to the walls.
Steel beams are placed over the hole and the spaces between the beams are filled with bricks, which are placed in a slight arch with gypsum instead of mortar as a binding agent, as it dries faster.
A small hole is left in the top of the septic tank to allow it to be emptied as it fills up. Often a pipe is run to the tank to allow sewage to be poured into the tank without having to remove the access cover.
In photos of Saddam?s hideout, the mortar-over-brick construction is easily seen. In fact, the bricks are exposed in some spots where the mortar covering is worn away. In the roof of the hole, the support beams can be seen. Around the ventilation fan new gypsum is apparent which means that this was added after the hole was built. It was not needed for the original design or it would have been mortared into place.
The location of the hole near a hut only reinforces the idea that this was originally a locally-built septic tank. Most likely, the hole was emptied of sewage and the dirt bottom expanded horizontally to allow for better hiding.
This is supported by the reaction of news reporters who had crawled into the hiding hole. They all mention the terrible stench of the place. Also, a nearby ditch had recently been put to use as a latrine, which indicates that the septic tank for the hut was not available.
From everything seen, it is apparent that Saddam had converted the septic tank of the hut where he lived into a bolt-hole to hide in if coalition forces approached. It turns out to be an unbelievably fitting form of irony. Saddam was found cowering in a septic tank like the vermin he is.
At last, the ?sewer rat? has been put in a proper cage, even if it is an improvement over his last quarters.
Maj. Derek C. Schneider is a member of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs Branch, currently serving as Public Works Officer, Public Facilities Team, 308th Civil Affairs Brigade. He can be reached at
DerekCSchneider@aol.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/...=viewone&id=292
Sempers,
Roger