North and East Syria official Hanna Soumi: Number of gas cylinders allocated to local communities must be doubled

ZALIN, Syria — Commissioner of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) and Armenian communities in Zalin (Qamishli), North and East Syria, Hanna Soumi said on Saturday that these communities cover a large area of the Turkish–Syria border.

Soumi stated that this large area needs support as people are suffering from the shortage of goods.

The ongoing fuel shortage is a major concern for the area. Despite the shortage, said Soumi, 500 gas cylinders are distributed every 10 days.

The price of a gas cylinder is 2,500 Syrian Pounds. To help reduce spread demand and ensure gas is distributed equally, the total number of registered residents in these communities has been divided into four groupings to reduce congestion.

They are trying to make the distribution system more efficient by dividing the communities further, said Soumi, adding that the number of gas cylinders allocated to the region is only half that needed to fully serve the communities there.