AANES says Kobani left without water after attack on Tishrin Dam
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The Water Directorate of the city of Kobani in northern Syria announced on Saturday that the city has been without water for four days following an attack by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA) on the Tishrin Dam.
Zozan Khalil, co-chair of the Water Directorate of Kobani, explained that electricity has been completely cut off from the water station for the past four days after the dam was damaged by SNA attacks.
The Autonomous Administration on North and East Syria (AANES) warned of the risk of Tishrin Dam collapsing due to repeated attacks by the factions in recent days.
“We attempted to use generators on the Euphrates River to pump water to the treatment station, but the groups’ attacks from the opposite bank prevented us from accessing the generator sites,” Khalil told North Press.
As a temporary solution, she noted that they are extracting water from agricultural wells to distribute to neighborhoods, though this supply is insufficient to meet the city’s needs.
Khalil clarified, “We have been drawing water from two agricultural wells in the village of Qaraqoy to supply the al-Iza’a station, and along the road to Halanj, two other wells are supplying water to two neighborhoods.”
North Press correspondent said that many residents of Kobani now depend on water delivered by tankers, which has exacerbated the water crisis in recent days.
Workers at the Tishrin Dam have issued urgent calls for protection, fearing its collapse or significant damage. Located 20 km southeast of Manbij, the Tishrin Dam is Syria’s second-largest power station, after the Euphrates Dam in Tabqa.