Khabur River drying up, raising health concerns in north Hasakah
TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – The Kabur River in the town of Tel Tamr, located in northern Hasakah in northeastern Syria, is drying up at an unusual rate as Turkey continues to withhold the river’s water to the region.
The residents of Tel Tamr and surrounding areas heavily rely on the water of the Khabur River to irrigate their lands located on its banks.
Muhammad Kuleib, the director of the Water Resources Department in the Agriculture Directorate in Tell Tamr, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), told North Press that “the interruption of the Khabur River’s water negatively affects farmers who heavily rely on it in over 40 villages on its banks, irrigating more than 1,500 hectares of land.”
Swamp-like puddles have formed in the almost dry river which have become filled with filth and mud due to the lack of water since the beginning of summer, leading to the spread of insects, flies, and mosquitoes on both sides of the river.
Turkey has almost entirely blocked the Kabur river since the beginning of war in Syria except for some occasions to avoid floods in its territory caused by rainwater or the melting of snow on Turkish mountains.
Omar Mardo, an internal medicine physician, warned of the continued interruption of the river’s water, which would increase the spread of harmful insects and diseases in the region, such as cholera, leishmaniasis, and other infectious diseases.
When these puddles are formed, Mardo said, they contribute to the spread of sandflies, which cause leishmaniasis, and other harmful insects that may cause diseases such as cholera.