Crowds purchase ice blocks amid electricity cuts in northern Syria
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The city of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, has recently witnessed overcrowding in front of ice factories to obtain ice blocks, in light of long and severe cuts of electricity.
Recently, Hasakah witnessed five consecutive days with no electricity, finally receiving between one and two hours over the past two days after the Siwidiya power station was finally able to provide some power.
Marwan, and IDP from Turkish-occupied Sere Kaniye who lives in Sere Kaniye Camp in Hasakah, says that the summer is not bearable without cold water, which is unavailable amid the electricity outages.
He pointed out that there is a crisis, causing people to quarrel over half of a block of ice during Ramadan, when temperatures are high.
Marwan added that he obtained half a block of ice to. share with his friend in order to get some cold water.
The electrical outages currently happening across northeast Syria are caused by Turkey’s reduction of the amount of water entering Syria from the Euphrates River; though international agreements from the 1980s stipulate that Turkey must provide at least 500 cubic meters of water per second on average, Turkey currently allows less than 300 cubic meters per second to leave Turkey.