Residents of Tel Tamer demand urgent solution to drinking water shortage

Residents of Tel Tamer expressed their dissatisfaction with the ongoing drinking water crisis, which over more than seven years has become one of the most pressing challenges facing hundreds of families, especially during the intense summer heat. This comes amid the continued interruption of water from the Alouk wells to the public network, the rising cost of relying on water tankers, and the deterioration of economic conditions alongside increasing fuel and basic goods prices.

In this context, young man Hussein Sheikh Ali said that relying on water tankers has become the only option to secure daily needs, but the continuous rise in prices has made obtaining water an unbearable burden for most families.

He explained: “The cost of filling a tank with a capacity of five barrels ranges between 50,000 and 60,000 Syrian pounds, while most families are living under difficult conditions due to declining incomes and rising living costs.”

He added that high summer temperatures have increased water consumption, while the quantities purchased are only enough for two or three days, especially for families that do not have private wells. This forces them to repeatedly buy water, draining a large portion of their monthly income.

For her part, Neef Al-Saleh said that the water crisis is no longer just a shortage of a basic service but has turned into a daily suffering that burdens residents.

She called on the relevant authorities to urgently resume pumping water through the public network and to end years of waiting, stressing that water is a basic right that cannot be delayed.

She also emphasized that repeated promises to restore Alouk water have not yet been translated into real action, and that the continued waiting has not changed the reality of suffering.

In response to residents’ demands, the deputy co-chair of Tel Tamer City Council, Hassan Oso, explained that the council has begun holding meetings with relevant administrations, including the fuel administration and transport administration, and has started taking urgent measures to reduce the impact of the crisis on citizens.

Oso stated that the continued interruption of water from the Alouk station is the main cause of the crisis, and that the council continues to communicate with the relevant authorities to accelerate the resumption of water pumping, as this represents the fundamental solution to ending the suffering of residents in Tel Tamer and affected areas.

He added that the council, in coordination with the fuel committee, has worked to provide subsidized diesel fuel to water tanker owners in order to reduce transportation costs and prevent exploitation of citizens.

He pointed out that an official price of 30,000 Syrian pounds has been set for filling a five-barrel tank, and called on tanker owners to adhere to it and take into account the difficult humanitarian conditions faced by residents.

Oso stressed that the current stage requires cooperation from all relevant parties and tanker operators to assume their social responsibilities. He emphasized that water is not a commodity for speculation or profit, but a basic right for every citizen that must be provided away from rising costs and ongoing crises.

While waiting for practical solutions, the suffering of Tel Tamer residents continues, as people await that announced promises and measures turn into a tangible reality ensuring regular water supply and ending a crisis that has lasted for years and become part of their daily lives.

ANHA