ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Ahmed Othman (a pseudonym), a resident of the countryside of al-Bab city, in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, north Syria, is trying to economize as much as possible the usage of clean water in his house due to the difficulty of obtaining it and its high price.
Since Turkish forces and the Turkish-backed armed factions took over the region four years ago, al-Bab city has been witnessing shortage of water, which increased this summer after a drought and sweltering temperatures.
Several days ago, activists in the city of al-Bab launched a campaign under the title “al-Bab is thirsty” to deliver the voices of the citizens and shed light on water crisis.
Othman is forced to fill his water tank, of a capacity of 2,000 liters, from the tankers selling water in the city at 80 Turkish liras, equal to 29,000 Syrian pounds (SYP).
This amount of money does not match his monthly income that does not exceed $50, which he secures from selling vegetables in a shop in the city.
He told North Press that he borrows money most of the time to buy water.
He added that his family uses water only once a week for showering and other usages to economize its usage during its shortage.
The water network of the city depends on ten wells present in al-Rai’ town and Sosiyan village, to the north of al-Rai’. However, four wells are out of service now and the remaining are working at half capacity, according to activists in the city.
Although the withdrawal of drinking water from the city of Jarablus, which is also controlled by the Turkish forces and the pro-Turkish armed factions, is possible to implement projects, it was not discussed in the municipal councils affiliated with them, according to a source in the city.
Since mid-February, Turkey has been seizing the Euphrates water from Syria and Iraq amid regional and global warnings of a health and agricultural disaster in the region.
Salim al-Atrash (a pseudonym), an IDP residing in al-Bab city, said that the high prices of water in the city have exceeded those of vegetables, whose owners depend on buying water from the tankers after nearby wells dried up.
The poor rainfall during the winter and the high temperatures this summer led to the drought of local wells, which some residents were use, although they are not suitable for drinking.
However, Adham al-Mahmoud (a pseudonym), a water tanker driver, said he raised the price of water due to the high costs of its transportation.
“The cost of filling a water tanker that can accommodate ten barrels (2,000 liters) from al-Ra’i wells, 30 km from the city, and delivering it to al-Bab amounts to more than 40 Turkish liras (15,000 SYP).”
The costs include the price of filling the tanker from the source, the expenses of malfunctions and the fuel prices which continue to rise.