Iraqis displaced by years of violence are slowly returning home to flattened cities that are uninhabitable, and they are forced to live in partially or totally demolished houses with almost no access to clean water, electricity and medical care.
The MSF hospital in Mosul is starting to see an increase in number of people suffering from intestinal infections after drinking dirty water, and food poisoning due to lack of electricity and gas for refrigeration and cooking. Children are developing skin problems and rashes due to lack of hygiene, and after playing in sewage water near burst pipes.
This is yet another hurdle they will need to overcome. And some are: shops and businesses are slowly starting to re-open, even if under collapsed roofs. Cement trucks are beginning to trickle in, and neighbors are working together to rebuild neighborhoods.