Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II sends letter to U.N. Secretary-General over water crisis in Hasakah, Syria

DARAMSUQ (DAMASCUS) — On Friday, in a rare move, Mor Aphrem II sent a letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, calling for the U.N. to intervene in the ongoing water crisis in Hasakah, Syria.

Turkey has engaged in a campaign to deprive the people of Hasakah Canton in North and East Syria of drinking water and since 10 August, has cut-off the main source of drinking water to the area.

The Alouk Water Station, currently controlled by Turkey and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, provides drinking water for between half-a-million and a million civilians and is routinely deactivated by the Turkish military in an attempt to put pressure on the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“This has led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Hasakah, which is home to more than a million people, and is home to thousands of displaced people, and the situation is getting worse,” said Co-Chair of the Executive Council of Gozarto (Jazira) Region in North and East Syria, Nazira Goreya in a statement to SyriacPress on Thursday.

Turkey’s attempts to deprive the people of North and East Syria water does not stop at the shutting-off of Alouk.

Turkey has also sought to eliminate the Euphrates River as an alternate source of water for the region. By restricting the flow through its upstream dams, Turkey has severely reduced the amount of water flowing in the Euphrates River to drought-like levels.

To provide the people of Hasakah, which includes the Christian Syriac–Assyrian areas of the Khabur River Valley, water is trucked to distribution centers and homes in the region from Zalin (Qamishli) and other areas.

In his letter, Mor Aphrem II writes:

“Using water as a weapon — which is not the first time — is a barbaric act and a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights. Yet, there has been no response from the international community to this atrocity despite the constant appeal of the people of the region. If water blockade [sic] continues, it would only be appropriate to characterize this inhumane act as a crime against humanity.

#save_Alhasakah An Appeal to the UN Secretary General pic.twitter.com/fJbxWuczZ4

— Mor Aphrem II (@MorAphremII) August 22, 2020