Youth initiative to alleviate water shortage due to Turkey’s withholding water

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – A group of journalist and civil society activists launched an initiative aiming to dig a number of wells in Hasakah city, which has suffered from a water shortage crisis since the fifth of July.

The Turkish forces have repeatedly cut off water from Alouk water station to the city of Hasakah and its countryside after they invaded areas in northeastern Syria and took control of the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) late last year, which led to a water shortage crisis which threatens to become a humanitarian catastrophe amid high temperatures.

Journalist Hibar Othman, one of the members of the initiative, told North Press that “the initiative came after the agreement of a group of journalists and humanitarian activists from northeastern Syria to help dig wells, according to their capability, in order to alleviate the suffering of the residents of the city.”

"What we are doing is attempting to alleviate the suffering of our people in Hasakah, which is witnessing a catastrophic situation as a result of Turkish forces cutting drinking water, after they stopped pumping water from Alouk station," Othman added.

Othman said that “the wells would be dug in a number of neighborhoods and regions in Hasakah, and would target poor and affected neighborhoods from water shortages, as well as Sere Kaniye’s IDP shelters.”

Othman explained that they were able to dig one well so far and collect enough money to drill nine other wells, that the initiative is still ongoing, and it is a youth initiative with limited capabilities.

The Directorate of Water of the Autonomous Administration in the city of Hasakah has declared a state of emergency to assist residents in securing water due to Turkish forces’ repeated interruption of the work of Alouk water station.

Reporting by Jindar Abdulqader, editing by Lucas Chapman