The industrial life returns to work in Aleppo amid difficulties

Aleppo – North-Press Agency
Sam al-Ahmad

Al-Qatirji neighborhood, the most famous neighborhood in Aleppo for iron and engineering industries, has remained completely paralyzed throughout the war years, as its industrial facilities have stopped operating due to the hostilities between the Syrian government forces and armed opposition groups.

Today, the neighborhood returned to work after the expel of the armed groups, and the control of the Syrian government, which began to restore some of its services, especially lifting rubble and facilitating some public services, which prompted many industrialists to restart their workshops and factories.

Muhammad al-Babi, owner of an industrial workshop for manufacturing water tanks in the al-Qatirji neighborhood, told North-Press: "Since 2012, I haven't been able to restart my workshop due to the war and bombing between the Syrian army and the armed groups. As safety returned to al-Qatirji neighborhood after the Syrian army’s control, pushed me to return and to open my workshop. "Despite the devastation of the building and the machines, I managed, with difficulties, to rehabilitate it, even partly, hoping that the conditions would improve and the workshop would return to work as it was before the war," he said.

However, there are still many difficulties facing industrialists in this neighborhood, including basic services, such as the lack of electricity in the neighborhood which led to the dependence of industrialists on diesel generators.

Abu Saeed, works in industrial businesses in al-Qatirji neighborhood, said to North-Press: "Returning the neighborhood to work like it was before is still very difficult, due to the non-return of power supply. Our reliance on diesel generators creates additional burdens on us under the current conditions and the lack of fuel, so we operate our workshops with limited hours and below average production, until things stabilize and the electricity is back to the industrial neighborhood."

It's not only the service difficulties that hinder the work of the industrial neighborhood in al-Qatirji, but the low exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the U.S. dollar and the high prices of raw materials, especially imported ones, that have had negative repercussions on business and the industrial activities.

Hussein al-Daraj is an industrialist and the owner of a textile factory in al-Qatirji, he told North-Press: "The rise in the dollar has had a great impact on the stoppage of many industrial businesses in the neighborhood. For example, I will stop my factory's work until the dollar stabilizes, because of my inability to buy raw materials in the dollar and exchange them into Syrian pounds. I've already incurred huge losses, and I cannot incur additional ones."

Despite the economic and service difficulties and obstacles, the industrial works continue in al-Qatirji neighborhood in Aleppo. The neighborhood which is located on the eastern outskirts of the city, has undergone heavy battles and is now operating amid its consequences.