Hasaka calls for resumption of water pumping from Alouk Station

Since the Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries cut off water from Alouk Station to Hasaka city and its countryside in 2019, around one and a half million people have been facing one of the most severe water crises in Syria. Residents have been forced to search for drinking and domestic water, relying on expensive private water tankers, polluted shallow wells, and incomplete water projects, leaving Hasakah under the burden of thirst.

Following the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the interim government in Syria, attention has turned to the city of Serekaniye, specifically Alouk Water Station, which supplies Hasakah city and its countryside with water.

In this context, ANHA agency conducted an interview with the Deputy Co-Chair of Hasaka City Council, Haji Bashar Ahmed, who said:

“After the Turkish occupation took control of Alouk Station, which used to supply the cities of Hasakah and Tal Tamr and their countryside with a population of about one and a half million people, Alouk’s water was almost completely cut off. Water was pumped only intermittently and for short periods through organizations that did not fully carry out their duties.”

He added: “During this period, reliance was placed on water tankers belonging to existing institutions, in addition to independent tankers that sell water. This was not an ideal solution but a forced one, as water was brought from shallow wells within the lands of the two cities. Residents suffered from the high cost of water. We tried to supply most parts of the city through tankers belonging to the Hasakah Water Directorate, but they were not sufficient to cover the entire city.”

Ahmed explained that tanker water caused health damage, in addition to financial and psychological burdens, especially since Hasakah city has a great need for water, and even securing it became a difficult and costly matter for citizens.

He pointed out that “after a series of meetings held by the Autonomous Administration with the Syrian interim government, and as a result of these understandings, our demands are for the Turkish state to withdraw from this city, hand it over to its people, start pumping water to the city, and not use it as a political pressure tool.”

The Deputy Co-Chair of Hasakah City Council, Haji Bashar Ahmed, concluded by saying: “We demand the resumption of water pumping and an end to this suffering, so that citizens can feel life and a new beginning in this country, feel a sense of belonging, and as has always been our goal from the start, that citizens live with dignity and freedom.”

The water crisis in Hasaka continues, awaiting concrete steps to fully restart Alouk Station and end years of thirst and suffering that have weighed heavily on residents.

ANHA