Government condemns Turkey’s water cut-off to Syria’s Hasakah
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Turkey commits “a war crime” by cutting off water to a million people in the city of Hasakah and its surroundings, northeastern Syria, for more than four months.
Turkey has cut off water to over a million people over 40 times since October 2019 when Turkish forces and their affiliated factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA) occupied the Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) region. They also seized control of the Alouk water pumping station in Sere Kaniye, which serves as the primary source of water supply to the city of Hasakah.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in a statement, voiced concerns over “cutting off water to the people of the province for more than four months, which threatens of a humanitarian, health and environmental catastrophe.”
The ministry also warned against “the catastrophic repercussions that will result from continuing to cut off water to the province, which requires international and humanitarian bodies to assume their responsibilities and intervene immediately to stop this suffering.”
On Jul. 19, 2023, the Syrian government condemned the Turkish state’s cutting off of water to the city of Hasakah, calling on the United Nations and the international community to take action to ensure the delivery of water.
The Ministry further added that the Turkish aggression continues to target the electrical substation of water plants which are providing water “to innocent civilians.”
This act not only violates the fundamental human rights of the affected population but also highlights Turkey’s use of such tactics to achieve its political objectives, the ministry noted.