High temperature exacerbates citizens’ suffering in Syria’s Hasakah as drinking water continues to be cut off by Turkish occupation
Hasakah (ST) – The drinking water crisis in Hasakah has worsened as the Turkish occupier continued to cut off water and stop pumping from the Alouk water station for the 9th month in a row, in the light of the high temperature.
Director General of the Water Establishment Muhammad Al-Othman talked about the violations committed by the Turkish occupation against the people of Hasakah since the beginning of last October, including stopping pumping water from the Alouk station, the only source of drinking water for about one million citizens.
He noted that the Water Establishment, in cooperation with international organizations working in Hasakah, secures a portion of the governorate’s needs through 20 desalination plants operating according to a specific daily rationing program and through drilling 7 wells near the desalination plants to support the currently existing wells.
The reliance of many residents in Hasakah on private tanks that transport water from unknown sources has caused a remarkable rise in diarrhea cases and intestinal infections, especially among children, according to Hasakah Health Director Issa Khalaf.
Khalaf pointed out that 568 children with diarrhea and intestinal infections visited Al-Loulowa medical center in central Hasakah since the beginning of this month, due to reliance on water of unknown source, high temperature and watering crops with unclean water.
Najla Khoury