Pollution hits Euphrates.. imminent humanitarian catastrophe

The Dams Administration in North and East Syria has warned of a real great humanitarian disaster awaiting the region, after the pollution that struck the Euphrates River as its water level has decreased to a minimum more than two and a half months since Turkey reduced the level of flowing water.

20 April, 2021 07:29

Kobani – Dijla Ahmed

The Turkish occupation state continues to steal the Syrians’ share of the Euphrates water, as the water supply from the Euphrates River flowing from Turkish territory to the Syrian lands has decreased from 500 cubic meters to 200 cubic meters per second since the 27^th of last January.

'Pollution and dangerous diseases threaten the region'

Muhammad Tarboush, from the Dams Administration in North and East Syria, warned of contamination of drinking water and the emergence of dangerous diseases, due to a significant drop in the water level.

He said, "We are facing a real catastrophe with regard to drinking water, because the low level of the river has led to water pollution, and the flow of algae and shells that lead to the emergence of dangerous diseases such as cholera that usually appears in the summer season which is on the door, and most of the major cities in northern and eastern Syria depend on the water of the Euphrates River to secure drinking water. "

Muhammad Tarboush also warned that they are on the verge of another real disaster in the coming days with regard to agriculture because thousands of hectares of land planted with irrigated wheat depend mainly on the Euphrates River, especially in Raqqa, Tabqa and Deir Ezzor, and it needs irrigation water, especially with the drought that the region is experiencing as a result of the poor rainfall this year.

Tarboush explained that "the decline in the level of the Euphrates River has negatively affected the electric power, so the people should rationally be using electricity,"

'Drinking water and watering lands are our priorities'

Regarding the mechanism of the dams' work, Mohamed Tarboush said, "We accumulate water in the dams for 16 hours, after which we supply our areas with electricity for 8 hours a day, and the dams are no longer able to bear the decline more than this, so we will have to stop the dams and cut off electricity if the situation continues." For another few weeks, because we prioritize drinking water and watering the lands."

'Reliance on the Euphrates Dam'

As a result of the decrease in the level of the Euphrates River to a minimum in the Tishreen Dam "Rojava", the Dams Administration in North and East Syria is forced to rely on the Euphrates Dam. Tarboosh says in this context: "There has been no increase in the river's water since the beginning of its decline, so Tishreen Dam "Rojava" is off, and we used the collected water to feed the area with drinking water and irrigate agricultural lands, but this matter will not last more than two days if Turkey continues to block the flow of water to Syria. "

He continued, "We are currently relying on the Euphrates Dam" Tabqa "because it has a large reservoir containing 14 billion cubic meters, and we have drained more than 8 billion cubic meters of it and more than 6 billion cubic meters remain in it, in the next few days we will use it for drinking water as we cannot drain all of the water to generate electricity. "

J.O

ANHA