Syria’s representative at UN calls on Secretary-General to intervene in Turkey’s cut of water

HASSAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, called on the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intervene immediately to stop the Turkey’s crime of cutting off drinking water for nearly one million people in the country’s northeastern province of Hassaka.

Hasakah and its countryside have been experiencing popular discontent for 20 days due to cutting off the drinking water.

The city of Hassakah and countryside areas are under the shared control of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government.

Al-Jaafari informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a phone call, about the tragic situation in the city of Hasakah, as a result of the Turkish cutting off drinking water from the Aluk Water Station and the wells supplying it.

He said Turkish aggressive behavior constituted a war crime and a crime against humanity, the situation resulting from this crime was intolerable, especially in light of hot climate and the risk of Coronavirus spread.

Three weeks ago, the Turkish forces cut off water flow of Aluk Water Station in the Serekaniye countryside to northern Syria’s Hassakah for the eighth time since they took control of the Serekaniye and Tal Abyad regions late last year.

In the meantime, negotiations are under way between Russians and Turks to re-pump drinking water into the area that supplies the city of Hasakeh and other areas in countryside of the city.