Over 80 deaths recorded from cholera in Syria – UN
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Tuesday more than 24.000 suspected cholera cases and more than 80 deaths recorded across Syria, in addition to reporting confirmed cases in all governorates.
Reena Ghelani, a Director UN’s OCHA, in a press release, said, “Millions of people across Syria lack reliable access to sufficient and safe water.”
Ghalani went further describing the health condition as “devastated” owing to a decade of conflict.
The outbreak is further caused by factors such as poor “rainfall, severe drought-like conditions, and damaged water infrastructure,” she added.
On October 18, the UN attributed the rise in cholera cases in Syria to severe decline in Euphrates River water level, drought-like conditions, and people recourse to unsecured water sources.
Turkey has been holding water of the Euphrates within its territory since 2020 amid warns that a humanitarian catastrophe is to face the region soon especially with the river declining to record levels.
In addition, since October 2019, Turkey and its affiliated armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), have controlled the Alouk water pumping station, following its invasion of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad in the same month.
Since then, Turkey has cut off water to Hasakah for 27 times, according to official statements by officials of the Autonomous Administration of north and East Syria (AANES).
The UN has a plan to respond to the outbreak and it “calls for $34.4 million to assist 162.000 with health services, and five million with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance,” the director added.
Humanitarians are also gearing up for a bitter winter in Syria, as “This year, the number of people who need winterization assistance has increased by a staggering 30% across the country compared to the previous year,” Ghelani said.
A winterization response plan currently remains “grossly underfunded”, as shelter and non-food items sector now are just 10% financed, according to Ghelani.