Failed negotiations between UN and Turkey over worsening water crisis in North and East Syria

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has announced the failure of negotiations between the United Nations and the Turkish occupation regarding the re-operation of the Alouk Water Station east of Rish Ayno (Ras al-Ayn). The Alouk Water Station is a critical source of drinking water for the over one million inhabitants of Hasakah and its surrounding areas. The Turkish occupation has been using water as a weapon against the peoples of North and East Syria for several years, leading to the suspension of the operation of the Alouk Water Station and exacerbating the suffering of residents, especially during the scorching temperatures in the region.

Issa Younes, Co-Chair of the Water Directorate of Hasakah, highlighted that Turkey’s strategy of cutting off water from Alouk is designed to displace people from the region and undermine AANES’s democratic project.

The station had been the primary source of drinking water for Hasakah until Turkey’s occupation of Rish Ayno led to the disruption of its water supply.

Younes urgently called on the international community and responsible international authorities to intervene and put an end to the suffering of the people in Hasakah.

Since the occupation of Rish Ayno in 2019, the Turkish forces have repeatedly stopping pumping water from Alouk despite repeated warnings from various parties about the potential humanitarian catastrophe it could cause.