Turkey continues to use water as a weapon for the sixth consecutive year.

The suffering of the residents of the cities of Hasakah and Tal Tamr in al-Jazira region of northeastern Syria continues for the sixth consecutive year in securing potable water, amid the ongoing cutting off of water from the Alouk wells by the Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries. These wells are the only source of drinking water for nearly one and a half million people in the two cities and their countryside since the occupation of the city of Sere Kaniye/ Ras al-Ain in late 2019.

Worsening suffering with the arrival of summer

With the arrival of summer and the rise in temperatures, the suffering intensifies even more due to the severe scarcity of water suitable for human consumption. The residents rely on saline surface wells, which are not suitable for drinking but only for household uses, forcing them to buy drinking water from tankers at high prices that burden their families.

Testimonials from local residents

Citizen Asim Hami, a resident of the city of Tal Tamr, says: "For nearly six years, the areas extending from the city of Tal Tamr to al-Shaddadi, over a distance of no less than 130 km in length and 50 km in width, have been experiencing severe drought and the spread of desertification, due to the cutting off of water from the Alouk wells by the Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries, following the occupation of Sere Kaniye."

He added: "The transitional government in Damascus must take responsibility for addressing this catastrophic situation, which threatens the lives of approximately one and a half million unarmed civilians who have lost their basic right to access drinking water."

For his part, citizen Khidr Hajj Ayoub from the city of Tal Tamr explained that "for six years we have been forced to rely on surface well water, which is salty and not suitable for drinking. We buy drinking water from tankers, which costs us a lot, as the price of a water tank reaches 35,000 lira and lasts us only two days, and this is a heavy burden on families."

He continued, "We call on the Autonomous Administration to find viable alternatives to the water from the Alouk wells. The situation has become unbearable and requires concerted local and international efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population."

People's Municipality Efforts... But Capabilities Are Limited

The People's Municipality in Tal Tamr is making significant efforts to provide drinking water by transporting water from the wells of the village of Tal Arabush, located south of the city, using tankers. However, the lack of technical and logistical capabilities and the breakdown of machinery over the past six years have hindered the regular distribution process and exacerbated the water crisis in the city and its villages.

Calls for the international community to break its silence

In a statement to ANHA's agency, Hamdia Kouti, an administrator in the Water Department of the People's Municipality in Tal Tamr, said: "All residents know that the groundwater in Tal Tamr is not suitable for human consumption, which is why we source water from Tal Arabosh. However, limited resources and increased demand during the summer due to high temperatures prevent us from meeting everyone's needs."

She added, "We call on the international community and human rights organizations to break their silence and take immediate action to put an end to the Turkish occupation's violations and its repeated cutting off of drinking water to more than one and a half million people in Tal Tamr and Hasakah."

It is worth mentioning that the Turkish occupation state and its mercenaries have cut off the water from the Alouk wells to the cities of Tal Tamr and Hasakah more than 28 times over the past four years, despite the intervention of international organizations, most notably UNICEF. Since June 2023, the water has been completely cut off, with no response to any mediations up to the time of preparing this report.

T/S

ANHA