Prime Minister inaugurates temporary bridge linking two banks of Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor

Prime Minister, Eng. Hussein Arnous, inaugurated the temporary bridge that connects the two banks of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor near al-Moallak bridge (hanging bridge), which was completed by national cadres, during his visit at the head of a government delegation to the governorate. During the visit, the Minister was briefed on a number of service and development projects and their implementation rates.

Engineer Arnous said in a statement to reporters on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Independence Day: Our armed forces, in cooperation with the technical authorities in Deir Ezzor, implemented this temporary bridge with utmost precision and creativity. We hope to rebuild the bridges of the Euphrates River that were deliberately and insistently destroyed by terrorism and by the American occupation.

Engineer Arnous added that thanks to the steadfastness of the Syrian people and their support for the leadership of President Bashar Al-Assad and the Syrian Arab Army, we will cross to the other side of the river and liberate every inch of Syrian land, pointing out that this work made it easier for the people of Deir Ezzor to cross to the other side of the river. 

In turn, the governor of Deir Ezzor, Fadel Najjar, said: We are overwhelmed with great joy today by the inauguration of this vital and important project on this generous land that got rid of terrorism thanks to the sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army and the honorable people who supported it. The bridge project that connects the two banks of the Euphrates comes within the framework of an effort to improve the life  of the people of villages and towns located in the northern countryside of the governorate and to mitigate the risks of moving through water ferries that were used during the previous period after the aggression of the American coalition destroyed all the bridges linking the two banks of the river in Deir Ezzor governorate as part of the systematic destruction campaign pursued by the American occupation.

Najjar pointed out that the bridge played a developmental, economic and social role that allows people to communicate with their relatives and families, in addition to transporting their goods, crops and livestock between the Syrian al-Jazeera region and the rest of the governorate and from there to all parts of our country. It is considered a humanitarian need because it facilitates the transportation of patients and those in need of health care as well as students and staff and workers. It also contributes to the reconstruction of Deir Ezzor governorate in general, and the villages and towns located in the northern countryside in particular. 

The Director of Technical Services in Deir Ezzor, Engineer Rashid Al-Hamad, noted that the bridge is 220 meters long and 10 meters wide, and is designed for a payload of approximately 100 tons, and 70 tons have been piloted.

Eng. Arnous toured a number of projects in the governorate, where he was briefed on the completion rates in these projects.

The Prime Minister also held a meeting with directors of government departments and institutions during which they discussed the service and living reality and the projects implemented in the governorate.

Engineer Arnous conveyed President Al-Assad’s greetings and love to the people of Deir Ezzor governorate, that faced terrorism and were subjected to the worst types of sabotage and destruction at the hands of terrorism and occupation, pointing to the continuation of the process of construction of the destroyed bridges, infrastructure and services.

Engineer Arnous pointed out that life has returned to the greater part of the governorate with the return of a large number of people to their lands and villages and the return of many health, educational, commercial and other services. We hope that the water crossing that opened today will contribute to solving the movement problem between the two banks.

He also stressed the importance of investing in all agricultural areas to cultivate strategic crops and the continuation of introducing more lands into government irrigation projects.

Arnous also drew attention to the continued support provided to the governorate to implement projects that positively reflect on the service and living reality.

Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Eng. Hussein Makhlouf, said that during the past two years, Deir Ezzor governorate was allocated with financial values of development projects exceeding 500 million Syrian pounds, and this year also, 500 million pounds were allocated to projects for the benefit of administrative units. The focus is currently on the industrial and artisanal areas, where the value of the subsidies transferred to Deir Ezzor governorate this year exceeded 4 and a half billion Syrian pounds.

On the sidelines of his meeting with the heads of administrative units and executive offices in the governorate, Minister Makhlouf pointed out that the administrative units are the link between the citizen and state institutions, and many depend on them.

The dialogue also focused on mechanisms to advance the reality of services provided to citizens and local development in various fields, with a focus on making all efforts to empower administrative units and to be able to carry out the tasks assigned to it.

For his part, the Minister of Water Resources, Dr. Tammam Raad, said in a similar statement to reporters that the irrigation situation in general is good and that contracts worth more than 3 billion pounds were signed to reconstruct canals and that all these projects were completed. He highlighted the coordination made with the Ministries of Agriculture and Electricity so that electricity would not be cut off from irrigation projects until the complete completion of irrigating crops before harvesting them.

For his part, the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Eng. Bassam Toameh indicated that 39 service projects in the governorate were funded by Deir Ezzor Development Fund, at an amount of about 7 billion Syrian pounds.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Engineer Muhammad Hassan Qatana, confirmed that the irrigated wheat crop is in good condition in Deir Ezzor governorate, although the climatic conditions are not ideal.

The Minister of Agriculture indicated that this year, the majority of irrigation projects in the governorate were invested after renovating them, pointing out that all concerned government agencies are working to secure fuel and electricity exceptionally for irrigation projects and that  fertilizers and fuels were distributed in the governorate to farmers according to need and availability.

Within the framework of the government delegation’s visit to the governorate, Minister of Education, Dr. Darem Tabaa, inaugurated Hashem Bagcachi School for Primary Education, after completing its maintenance and restoration work in cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Children’s Fund “UNICEF”.

It is noteworthy that the Directorate of Education in Deir Ezzor, in cooperation with international organizations, is working to reconstruct 36 schools during the year 2022.

Inas Abulkareem