Residents call for halt to housing project in Hama Countryside

The “Resort Housing Association for Tourism and Summer Recreation” project covers an estimated 350 dunams and includes 274 residential plots.

According to ANHA News Agency correspondents in Hama, citing specialists, the targeted land is highly fertile and has strong productive capacity, in addition to abundant groundwater. For years, the area has been used for agricultural activities in Subin and surrounding areas.

Farmers say the issue goes beyond changing the use of specific properties. In their view, it concerns preserving productive agricultural land and groundwater resources. They warn that constructing concrete buildings on the land could make it extremely difficult to return it to agricultural use in the future.

Previous Permit and Construction Work

According to information and documents reviewed by residents, government authorities under the former Baathist regime had previously issued a permit to establish a housing association in the area.

Farmers say work related to the project was halted on several occasions after complaints intensified, based on procedures and laws that restricted the occupation of fertile agricultural land and its conversion to urban uses.

Residents recently observed signs that work at the site had resumed, including increased concrete pouring and construction of concrete structures. The work had previously stopped following mounting complaints.

This prompted residents to renew their calls for verification of the project’s legal status, whether any new approvals or decisions had been issued allowing construction to resume, and whether the project complies with applicable legislation and regulations.

Farmers are calling for a technical and legal inspection of the site, along with an assessment of the land’s classification, fertility, and agricultural use before any decision is taken to allow construction work to continue.

Municipality and Association’s Position

A source at the Majdal Municipality, which has jurisdiction over the targeted site, said the municipality had received a letter from the governorate stating that work could resume based on a request submitted by the association.

Residents and farmers are awaiting an official clarification of the legal and technical basis for resuming the work, as well as the authority that issued the approvals related to the project and whether they comply with the land classification and applicable agricultural and water-related requirements.

Association members and subscribers who purchased shares and residential plots said that approval had been granted for work to resume, while the association is currently working to restructure its board of directors.

These demands come amid an announced policy by Syria’s Ministry of Agriculture to survey and classify land and assess its fertility. In January 2026, Firas al-Ghammaz, director of the ministry’s Land Directorate, said the ministry was working to determine soil fertility and productive capacity. He said permits for construction projects are granted on less fertile land or land not designated for agricultural investment, while construction is prohibited on fertile land.

Al-Ghammaz said the measures aim to regulate land use, prevent encroachments and protect agricultural investment. He added that the ministry is developing a database based on field surveys, data analysis and satellite imagery to identify and assess suitable land.

Concerns Over Groundwater

Farmers say the site’s importance goes beyond soil fertility. According to their accounts, the project is located in an area rich in groundwater and considered an important water resource for agricultural activities.

Landowners warn that establishing a residential complex and associated facilities, including swimming pools and service infrastructure, could increase groundwater consumption. They also raise concerns about potential contamination of water sources from wastewater and waste generated by residential activity.

They are calling for a water and environmental assessment to determine the project’s impact on groundwater reserves and whether the area can accommodate the expected water consumption before construction work is allowed to continue.

The Hama Water Resources Directorate is carrying out projects to maintain drainage and irrigation networks and protect agricultural land. These include the cleaning of Drain 3-A2 under Project 3564 in the Al-Ghab Plain, aimed at improving the efficiency of the agricultural drainage network and protecting farmland.

In June, the directorate also began rehabilitating the Qarqour gates in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the aim of protecting agricultural land and improving the efficiency of water infrastructure.

ANHA News Agency had not found, as of the time of publication, any publicly available official statement directly clarifying the position of Hama Governorate, the Ministry of Agriculture or the Water Resources Directorate on the project in Subin specifically, or confirming whether new approvals had been issued to resume construction.

Khirbet Subin is part of the Mhardeh area in Hama Governorate. Published data indicate that the area has historically been associated with agricultural activity. The Hama branch of the General Establishment for Seed Multiplication previously contracted farmers in Subin, Majdal and other areas to grow local potato seed on 150 dunams, with an expected production of around 1,500 tons of seed potatoes from those fields.

The collective complaint calls for the work to be temporarily halted until the project’s legal status is verified, the targeted land is classified, and its potential impact on agricultural activity and groundwater is assessed. It also calls on the relevant authorities to announce the findings of their inspection and the decisions taken regarding the site’s future.

ANHA