Municipal budget suspension threatens to worsen service conditions in Alian area

As the integration process continues in Hasakah Governorate, some of the ongoing integration measures have affected the work of municipalities in the villages and towns of al-Jazira region. The suspension of budgets has led to the disruption of service projects that were scheduled to be implemented this year, including road paving and repairs, the construction and renovation of sewage networks, and the construction of bridges connecting villages to one another.

In the Alian area of the Jil Agha countryside, the problem of unpaved roads is particularly pronounced. Several villages face difficulties in accessing them during the winter, as rainfall damages the roads, turning them into rough, impassable tracks or cutting them off completely. This makes it more difficult for residents to travel between their villages and the city center.

The Kisk Municipality, which serves the northern countryside of Jil Agha, had included 20 service projects for the 21 villages under its jurisdiction. However, their implementation was suspended due to the failure to disburse the allocated budget. Likewise, 13 projects scheduled for this year in the town of Abira, north of Jil Agha, were halted. The town administratively oversees 15 villages.

Among the projects submitted by Kisk Municipality to the Municipalities Authority were 12 road-paving projects in villages across the Alian area, in response to residents’ demands to facilitate travel between their villages and the city, particularly during the winter.

The roads in the villages of Baterzan, Bakrawan, Qashtban, Kindak Shalal, Dirona Aghi, and other areas are in poor condition. Some roads become completely impassable during the winter, prompting residents to repeatedly call for their paving and improvement.

In this context, Marwan Ismail Dali, head of the commune of Jalka village, told ANHA agency that villages in the Alian area suffer from a severe shortage of services. He explained that the suspension of projects this year due to the lack of a budget would increase residents’ suffering, particularly during the winter.

Dali pointed out that unpaved roads become even more difficult to navigate during the winter, making transportation more challenging. He also noted that rainwater accumulates because a number of villages lack sewage networks.

Dali stressed that administrative integration should not hinder the provision of essential services, calling on the relevant authorities to expedite the disbursement of municipal budgets to ensure the completion of stalled projects.

He also emphasized the urgent need to improve infrastructure and basic services, warning that postponing the implementation of projects would further increase residents’ hardships. He called for a solution that would enable municipalities to implement their plans and meet the needs of the population.

For his part, Hassan Fares, an administrator at Kisk Municipality, explained that the municipality holds annual meetings with the communes to listen to residents’ demands and identify the projects needed.

Fares said that a meeting was held this year during which 20 service projects were proposed, covering most of the villages in the Alian area under the jurisdiction of Kisk Municipality. However, implementation of these projects was suspended because the allocated budget had not been disbursed.

Hassan added: “We were informed that water-related projects should be submitted exclusively to the Water Directorate, following the separation of the Water Department from the municipality as a result of the integration of the Autonomous Administration’s institutions with state institutions. As for the service projects under the municipalities in villages affiliated with the cities of al-Jazira region, their financial allocations have been suspended, with $300,000 allocated to city municipalities to implement projects only within city centers and the villages directly affiliated with them.”

Hassan confirmed that, due to the failure to disburse the budget, the service projects scheduled for this year had been suspended. These included a project to provide Kisk Municipality with various types of machinery and equipment to enable it to improve service conditions in the Alian area.

The suspension of the projects has caused dissatisfaction among residents amid concerns that the level of services will continue to deteriorate, particularly as winter approaches, bringing with it difficulties related to roads and rainwater drainage. Residents are calling for a mechanism that would ensure the continued operation of municipalities and the implementation of projects designed in response to the needs of the villages.

ANHA