Emergency solutions implemented by Administration of North and East Syria bring Euphrates water to Hasakah amidst scarcity caused by Turkish occupation

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — Residents of Hasakah, North and East Syria, and its surrounding areas continue to endure daily struggles to secure drinking water, years after the Turkish occupation weaponized the Alouk Water Station in the Rish Ayno (Ras al-Ayn) countryside, depriving more than a million civilians of clean water.

In response to the ongoing crisis, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) has sought alternative and emergency solutions to alleviate the people’s suffering.

One significant project involves drawing water from the Amuda countryside towards Hasakah. Additionally, water from the Euphrates River is being pumped into water stations, eventually reaching the Aziziya Water Station in Hasakah and distributed to the city’s neighborhoods according to specific schedules.

Mahmoud Kahnoush, an administrator at the Aziziya Water Station, stated that DAARNES has begun a project to draw water from the Euphrates River to Hasakah, noting that the canal spans 45 km from the Al-Sabha area to the Al-Sour area.

Kahnoush added that the canal includes three pumping stations and five drinking stations for the Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor) area, benefiting 200,000 dunams of agricultural land.

He reported that the water arriving at Aziziya is distributed in batches to various neighborhoods, including Ghweran, Al-Zuhur, Al-Nashwa Al-Sharqiya, Al-Aziziya, Al-Tala’i, Al-Ghazal, Al-Salihiya, and Al-Mufti. Each batch takes between four and six hours to pump, with quantities reaching 6,000 to 7,000 cubic meters of water.

For neighborhoods that do not receive water from the Euphrates River, water tanks have been provided to residents.

The project to pump Euphrates River water to Hasakah and its surrounding areas has been well received by the city’s residents. Jalal al-Sawadi, a resident of Ghweran neighborhood, told our newsdesk that while the first batch of water was not clean, it soon became very good and pure. He also urged that water be delivered to all city neighborhoods.

This project is another step by DAARNES to improve services disrupted by repeated Turkish occupation violations, amid the international community’s silence.