MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Amid soaring temperatures Zakiya al-Abdullah, an IDP from the town of Maskanah, eastern Aleppo, sits in her worn-out tent without any means that help her to endure the extreme temperature.
The 64-year-old woman tends to water the tent’s floor to reduce the heat, but to no avail, since sun rays sneak into her tent.
The elderly woman suffers from the intense heat inside her tent in the old eastern Manbij camp, north Syria, as there is no fans or cold water to drink.
No water or fans
Al-Abdullah, like the rest of the IDPs in the camp, struggles with the sweltering heat, electricity absence, and water shortage.
The elderly woman complains about the acute shortage of medical supplies in the camp’s medical point, as she is unable to buy the necessary medicines from outside the camp due to high prices.
IDPs in the old eastern Manbij camp suffer from an acute shortage of medical supplies inside the camp’s medical point, and the lack of cooling means and summer supplies.
The IDPs tents have not been replaced for nearly three years, additionally summer necessities such as fans, chargers and solar panels, which were provided by a humanitarian organization in Manbij, were not provided, the elderly woman said.
Since 2017, the majority of residents of the city of Dayr Hafir, southeastern Aleppo, and Maskanah have displaced to Manbij, after the Syrian government forces took control of their areas following battles with the Islamic State (ISIS).
Al-Abdullah appeals the NGOs and the concerned authorities to provide all assistance to the camp’s residents, including tents, cooling equipment, and securing medical supplies in the camp’s medical point.
Fatoma al-Saleh, 67, who was displaced from Dayr Hafir and resides in the old eastern Manbij camp, also expresses her poor conditions in the camp, especially in summer.
Heat-based illnesses
Lack of coolers and cold water amid poor housing conditions has left many children vulnerable to heat-based illnesses.
“My children are sick due to extreme hot weather; they suffer from diarrhea and dehydration, our living conditions are harsh no aid is provided to us,” al-Saleh told North Press.
On March 15, 2018, the old eastern Manbij camp was established in the village of Rasm al-Akhdar, 10 km southeast the city of Manbij.
The elderly woman added that with the high temperatures, insects gather near bathrooms, spreading diseases among the IDPs.
Al-Saleh calls on humanitarian organizations to support the camp residents with medicines and medical equipment, especially for the sake of children.
The new eastern Manbij camp houses 625 families, including 3,395 individuals, from the regions of Maskanah and Dayr Hafir, while the old eastern camp houses 387 families, including 1,795 individuals.
Muhammad al-Sheikh, 39, displaced from Maskanah and lives in the old eastern camp, is unable to buy a new cotton fabricated cover for his tent, not even fans or cooling means because he does not have enough money.
“They did not provide us with solar panels and fans, and we cannot buy fans due to the high prices,” al-Sheikh added.
Dire condition
IDPs are unable to secure many of their needs due to their already difficult lives and the significant ongoing devaluation of the Syria pound, as it exceeded 13,000 SYP against one dollar.
“Not all medicines are available in the camp dispensary, and the residents of the camp are forced by buy the unavailable ones from outside the dispensary, which are too expensive and impose extra burden,” al-Sheikh noted.
“We barely secure our daily basic needs; we cannot buy solar panels or fans. This affects our children’s health conditions badly,” he said.
The extreme heat negatively take a toll on the IDPs, who live in old and rotten tents that are vulnerable to extreme heat in northern Syria, in light of the camp’s tragic conditions due to the failure of humanitarian organizations and the UN to provide humanitarian and relief support.