Rehabilitation and maintenance of the Albashriat waterwheel in Hama

The Waterwheels Department of Hama City Council started the restoration and rehabilitation works of the Albashriat  waterwheel located on the Orontes River at the site of the four waterwheels, which has a diameter of 16 meters.

The director of the Waterwheels Department, Muhammad Sab’ al-Arab, said in a statement to SANA that the restoration and rehabilitation work includes replacing the axle, external and internal circles, and the wheel crown. This work will be implemented by a specialized workshop which  includes the design and implementation of wooden models for the damaged pieces of walnut, poplar, eucalyptus, oak and pine wood, pointing out that the waterwheel is the third largest waterwheel in the governorate and has existed for thousands of years.

He pointed out that the department is planning to maintain and rehabilitate most of the waterwheels this year if the necessary materials are available.

The head of the maintenance workshop, Ghazwan Al-Saqqa, indicated that there is a difficulty in securing maintenance materials for the paddle wheels, and there is a need for new workers from the youth category, because they are the most able to complete the maintenance operations in an appropriate manner because most of the working staff are of old age.

The Waterwheels Department in Hama had restored and maintained four waterwheels during the past year.

Sanaa Hasan