Government condemns Turkey’s water cut-off to Hasakah

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish state’s cutting off of water to the city of Hasakah, in northeastern Syria, calling on the United Nations and the international community to take action to ensure the delivery of water.

In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said, “Syria condemns in the strongest possible terms the war crime being committed by the Turkish regime through depriving more than one million Syrians of water, especially in light of the high temperatures recorded.”

The ministry also stated that Turkey and its allied Syrian opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), continue to cut off drinking water to the city, its surroundings, and the population centers along the line of the water pipeline that extends from the Alouk pumping station to part of the eastern countryside of Hasakah.

In October 2019, Turkey and its affiliated SNA factions took control of the cities of Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), where Alouk station is situated, after a Turkish military operation dubbed ‘Peace Spring’. Since then, Turkey has repeatedly cut off water to the city and its surroundings.

“Syria calls on the UN to immediately and effectively act to stop such violation of all international laws, norms and charters, and to ensure the resumption of water pumping from the station at full speed, through ensuring the access of the staffs of international organizations and the water station there to fix and run it, thus the water can be reached by the residents” the ministry’s statement read.