With Strong Will and Patience Lattakia’s Farmers will replant their Fire-Affected Lands

Land is the hope and the life for farmers. Throughout human history, our relation with the soil has affected our ability to cultivate crops and influenced the success of civilizations.

 Strong will, hope, patience and determination to replant their lands were embodied by moving stories and experiences of farmers and families who are in shock over the losses they have endured as the fire devoured their crops and harvest and reached their homes in the countryside regions of Lattakia.

Charred trees and burnt soil filled the horizon while smoke filled the air, telling the story of wildfire that engulfed trees and affected agricultural and forestry lands and properties of the locals in a number of villages in Lattakia countryside.

” Fire has destroyed farmers from inside out after losing their crops. This is the first time we witness such a calamity. The fire has swept farmlands and forests. Nothing could stand in its face”. Eng. Manal Danorrah from “Dher Dabbash” village in Qurrdaha countryside said in a statement to Syriatimes e-newspaper.

She pointed out that the magnificent views of the village have turned into a tragic sight drowned in the blackness and smell of fire, stressing that the locals of the village can no longer enjoy the shades of their trees.

Eng. Danorrah added the fire damaged everything on its way and reached the houses of the people who sadly watched what happened to their green fields as the fires turned them into blackened land.

She noted that the circumstances were tough as the wind was northeastern and dry so the work was strenuous to put out the fire and the situation was impossible.

“On my way to work I will never forget the scene I saw – women in their fire-affected lands trying to cultivate the burnt areas of olive trees to replant hope again in land and express determination that the Syrian soil will be always fertile and that they will never lose hope”.

Eng. Manal called on concerned bodies to support farmers and provide more aid , especially for rural women.

Abu Muhammad, from the village of Basut whose forehead has wrinkles bearing the features of long years of misery, confirmed that what happened is a tribulation. It is a conspiracy, according to what he said, by sinful hands, but this will not deter him and his children from re-cultivating his land with trees to return it to its brilliance and beauty.

Hassan Abdo Suleiman, one of the village locals said that the firefighting teams and civil defense in cooperation with people have exerted double the effort around the clock to extinguish fires and limit them.

Suleiman noted that he lost about dozens of dunums of walnut, cherry, apples and olive trees where the fires destroyed them completely until the roots, but that didn’t stop from trying to return life to the land and cultivating it even if takes several years.

From “Al-kheshkhasheh” village Mrs . Nof Danorrah told Syriatimes “the worst-hit of all was the olive crop, which was scheduled to be cultivated next month for farmers to extract the famous Syrian olive oil”.

With a calm voice expressing sadness she added “I am among farmers who have been waiting an entire year of hard work for the olive crops to be cultivated but the crops went up in the flames of the strong fire that also forced people out of their homes”.

 “We rushed with the people of the village to put it out with courage, will and determination to protect our lands until the fire trucks arrived to support us”.

The village residents expressed their determination to participate in the reforestation of their lands with the help of official institutions and parties so that they return green as they were before.

Interviewed by: Rawaa Ghanam