Hasakah Water Director: Alouk water pumping rises to 50,000 m³ per day

The Director General of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Company in Hasakah, engineer Farhan Owais, told ANHA's agency that the volume of water supplied from the Alouk Water Station has increased to 50,000 cubic meters per day after the station resumed operations on a trial basis on June 22. He noted that the company is working to address the challenges hindering stable pumping and to ensure that water reaches all neighborhoods.

Pumping volumes

Owais explained that pumping volumes gradually increased from 30,000 cubic meters to 50,000 cubic meters per day, contributing to an increase in the number of hours during which water reaches some neighborhoods, reaching 18 consecutive hours on certain days. However, pumping remains intermittent and unstable due to the station’s operation being dependent on electricity availability, as well as the deterioration of its equipment and installations.

He pointed out that a one-hour power outage at the station results in a delay of approximately four hours in the arrival of water to Al-Hamma Station.

He confirmed that the instability of the trial pumping is due to the deterioration of the equipment and machinery at Alouk Station, adding that the company expects pumping to stabilize in the coming days.

Neighborhoods without water and emergency solutions

Regarding neighborhoods that have not received water, Owais confirmed that Alouk water has reached all neighborhoods of the city of Hasakah, with the exception of Al-Zuhour neighborhood, which essentially lacks a water network.

He explained that some residential quarters and streets continue to suffer from water shortages due to weak pumping, breaks in the network, and unauthorized connections to the main and secondary water networks.

He revealed a plan to supply Al-Zuhour neighborhood and areas that do not receive water with tanker trucks free of charge, starting next October, as an emergency solution until the problem can be addressed in a sustainable manner.

He noted that the current quantities are insufficient to cover the city’s needs, as Hasakah requires approximately 75,000 cubic meters of water per day to meet the needs of its residents, at an estimated rate of 150 liters per person per day, according to the company’s estimates.

He pointed out that water losses and unauthorized connections to the network, along with irresponsible water use, including unauthorized connections, washing cars and streets, and negligent practices observed during field tours increase the severity of the shortage.

He noted that pumping 50,000 cubic meters is relatively good and called on residents to rationalize their water consumption and reduce waste in order to ensure that water reaches all residents and neighborhoods.

Technical challenges and a plan to rehabilitate the station

Owais identified the main challenges facing Alouk Station as unstable electricity supplies, unauthorized connections to water lines by certain commercial activities such as swimming pools, car washes, and factories, as well as the deteriorated state of Hasakah’s water network and the lack of awareness about the need to rationalize water consumption.

He said that maintenance teams repaired approximately 500 damaged points in the main and secondary networks, of varying sizes and diameters, over a period of two months.

He stressed the importance of activating the water inspection and enforcement unit to curb unauthorized connections and water waste.

As part of a plan to improve the water situation, Owais revealed a project to replace the Alouk Station system in two phases. The first phase includes transformers and well equipment and is scheduled to be completed before the end of the current year, while the second phase involves replacing the twelve main pumps during the first quarter of 2027.

He confirmed that completing the replacement works would improve the station’s performance and achieve greater stability in water pumping, while also reducing the hours of rationing.

He explained that the station is currently operating with 16 wells out of a total of 34 wells, distributed along a six-kilometer stretch, while the length of the water transmission line from Alouk to the city of Hasakah is approximately 67 kilometers.

Water safety and the digital mapping project

Regarding water quality, Owais confirmed that the water entering the network is disinfected and is nearly pure when it emerges from the wells. However, the company cannot guarantee that it remains safe for drinking after passing through the network due to the possibility of contamination with wastewater as a result of the deterioration of some pipes and the lack of accurate data on the locations of the main and secondary networks. He added that workers currently rely on their own memory when carrying out their work.

To address this issue, he revealed a project to develop a digital map of the water and wastewater networks in Hasakah, in cooperation with the faculties of civil engineering at the universities of Aleppo and Damascus. The project aims to identify the locations of pipelines, improve maintenance operations, and ensure water safety.

Supplying al-Hol with water and the Euphrates line

Regarding the water situation in the city of Al-Hol, Owais explained that supplying the city with water is included in the company’s plan for next year, given that some of the three pumping stations located along the road between Hasakah and Al-Hol have gone out of service. These are the Rad Shakra, Al-Wasita, and Umm Hujaira stations, all of which require extensive rehabilitation work.

Main Sources Supplying Hasakah Governorate with Water

Regarding the water sources in Hasakah Governorate, he said that the company relies on three main sources: Alouk Station, which covers approximately 50 to 55 percent of the governorate’s needs; Al-Safaan Dam and the Al-Awija, Al-Hilaliya, and Jaqjaq stations, which supply the border areas extending from Derik to Qamishlo; in addition to the Euphrates water line, which supplies the southern countryside of Hasakah.

Owais confirmed that the operation of Alouk Station and the improved condition of Al-Safaan Dam have contributed to strengthening water supplies. However, the Euphrates line remains the most prominent challenge to fully meeting the governorate’s water needs. He noted that restoring the line to operation is included in the company’s plan for next year, as it is considered an indispensable source, while desalination plants will temporarily be relied upon to provide water until the line is reactivated.

ANHA