Hasakah residents demand heating diesel as Winter nears

Concerns are growing among residents of Hasakah over worsening living conditions, particularly as heating diesel has yet to be distributed and winter approaches. This comes amid rising fuel prices on the free market, adding to the financial burden on residents.

Resident Mohammad al-Mohammad said heating diesel had not yet been distributed and that the price of a barrel on the free market could reach around $220, putting it beyond the purchasing power of most residents.

Al-Mohammad added that the province was heading into winter and called on the transitional government to take into account the conditions of Hasakah residents and distribute heating diesel to ease their burden, particularly for the elderly, children and school students.

For his part, resident Mahmoud Faheid said that at this time each year, the province used to distribute heating diesel to families at a rate of 300 liters per family booklet, at a price of 500 Syrian pounds. However, the fuel has yet to be distributed this year.

Faheid, citing remarks by the head of the Executive Office in Hasakah during a meeting with residents who were calling for basic services and electricity, said that subsidized heating diesel would not be available this year. He warned that this would further worsen living conditions in the province, particularly as the price of the fuel on the free market has risen to around $220 per barrel.

Faheid added that the trees residents used to cut down and use as an alternative for heating were no longer available in sufficient quantities.

He called on the relevant authorities to secure residents’ basic needs and ensure they are able to cope with the winter.

Resident Salem al-Haran said that, according to his estimate, around 70 percent of Hasakah’s residents live below the poverty line and cannot afford rising fuel prices, transportation costs, food prices and bread.

Al-Haran added that rising diesel prices on the free market have made it impossible for residents to afford the fuel, and called on the relevant authorities to intervene urgently to provide heating diesel.

He also called on the governor of Hasakah to convey residents’ hardships to the relevant authorities and work to find urgent solutions. He further called for repairs to the electricity network, improvements to power supplies, and better bread provision for residents.

ANHA