Euphrates Region Human Rights Organization sends report on Turkey’s use of water as a weapon to European Human Rights Commission

KOBANÎ, Syria — The Euphrates Region Human Rights Organization has put together a series of reports on the violations of Turkish and Turkish-backed forces on the people of Syria, said a public statement released by the organization. In their most recent report detailed the reduction of the flow of the Euphrates River from Turkey to Syria to less than 200 cubic meters of water per second, a violation of the 1987 agreement signed between the two countries which stipulated that Syria’s share of the Euphrates should be no less than 500 cubic meters per second.

The report documents the impact on the lives of the population due to the concentration of pollution of river water and the damage to water and food security, as well as the impact on the agricultural sector and power generation.

The concentration of pollution due to the severely low water level portends a humanitarian and health disaster. Ongoing drought-like conditions are exacerbating the water crisis and drying up underground wells.

The reports are accompanied by photographs and videos showing the extent to which the flow of the Euphrates has decreased and its effect on the daily lives of the population. The organization stated that all the material they have collected has been sent to the European Human Rights Commission and the U.N. Civil Society Chamber, demanding that Turkey be held accountable for its use of water as a weapon against the Syrian people.