Northeast Syria: Water crisis in the city of Al-Hasakah intensifies

Northeast Syria: Water crisis in the city of Al-Hasakah intensifies
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The city of Al-Hasakah has not been provided water for 15 days from the Alouk water station that has been targeted in attacks by Turkish forces.

A severe water crisis has been ravaging the city of Al-Hasakah in Northeast Syria as water has not been pumped to the city for 15 days, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday.

The recent interruption in water supply has been caused by the attacks of Turkish forces and their proxies on the Alouk water station in the countryside of Turkish occupied Ras al Ayn (Sere Kaniye), SANA said.

The director of the General Establishment of Drinking Water in Al-Hasakah, Mohammad al-Ukla, told SANA:

"The terrorist groups operating in the areas under Turkish occupation have been attacking the station and the power lines, while electricity coming from the power station in al-Darbasiyah to Alouk continues to be seized."

It has become usual in Al-Hasakah to see women, children and men engaged in delivering water from trucks provided by organizations in various neighborhoods, as everyone carries as much as he or she can, North Press Agency recently reported.

In some other neighborhoods, water is pumped to tanks above the roofs from water trucks, while in others, water is provided from wells dug by locals.

Alouk water station

The Alouk water station serves as the main water source for the city of Al-Hasakah, and an interruption in its functioning affects direct access to water for nearly half a million people people in Northeast Syria, primarily in the cities of Al-Hasakah and Tell Tamr.

In total, up to one million people are impacted, including 100,000 people in Al-Hawl refugee camp and other IDP camps and settlements.

China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, accused Turkey in October 2021 of "illegally invading Syria’s north‑east and cutting off water supplies,” and called upon Turkey to abide by international law.

Earlier in late September, the delegates in an international water forum in the city of Al-Hasakah condemned Turkey for using its control over the water source as a weapon against its neighbors.