Rains increase Deir ez-Zor refugees' suffering, relief Orgs neglect 

DALSOZ DILDAR / AL-HASAKAH

As winter season has come, the suffering of Deir ez-Zor refugees who are residing in al-Arisha camp south of al-Hasakah is increasing day by day. What exacerbated the refugees' suffering is falling the rains causing many problems to the people where their tents have been flooded with water and mud in absence of heating and lack of relief.

The displaced spent the night while they were getting the water out of their tents, most of them got sick due to the severe cold, while an elderly woman have lost her life after the tent fell on her during the rainfall.

Since the opening of the camp, the Democratic Autonomous Administration in al-Jazeera region has been providing relief assistance to the camp according to its available resources because the area is under siege from all sides, but its assistance does not meet the needs of the displaced due to the huge number that requires great potentials.

Tents turn into water pools

The displaced Mohammed Ali, from al-Mayadeen city of Deir ez-Zor has headed towards to the camp since nearly three months, fleeing the clashes broke out between the regime forces and IS gangs. They are living miserable conditions as their tents have been worn and the rain turned the tents and the ground of the camp into water pools and mud so it has been difficult to walk within it.

The views of the displaced people Mohammed Khalaf and Matra al-Hajji identified as they said that they have not received any new tents since last winter, and noted that their tents have greatly damaged and torn after the last rains that led to leaking water inside their tents.

Prominent demands and there are no ears to listen

In the square where the Refugees' Affairs Commission's tents are located, the people are densely stand behind each other as they demand the distribution of relief aid to them.

A woman standing next to Marham says that the organizations do not help them, and even if they distribute aid to them, that is not enough for the entire family. She said, "The cold would killed us yesterday night. We slept on the ground and we have no heating and no blankets."

The displaced people thanked the Autonomous Administration for what it offers, and agreed that what the Autonomous Administration provides do not meet their requirements and that the organizations must ensure them, not the Autonomous Administration.

And based on the insistent demands of the people, we tried to meet with the management of the organization, but they have refused to comment on the matter and make any statement in this regard.

Hundreds of patients daily

Returning to the camp, the situation at the medical point of the Kurdish Red Crescent did not differ from the relief organizations, where dozens of displaced people stand waiting for their turn to receive medicines and receive treatment for illnesses that have been caused by the cold.

According to the administration of the Crescent, the number of the people flocked according to official records is about 220 displaced people daily who have been sick by cold weather, and it showed that the most common diseases suffered by the displaced are crepe.

It is worth noting that al-Arishah camp is located 30 km south of al-Hasakah, which was opened on 1 June 2017. The camp is home to displaced persons from Deir ez-Zor area, and their numbers currently reach about 9,000 displaced people.

(T/S)

ANHA