Syrian official attributes Maydanki Dam water decline in Afrin to drought
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – The decline in the water level of the Maydanki Dam in Afrin countryside, northwestern Syria, is a natural result of a widespread climatic phenomenon of drought and low rainfall, Director of Water Resources in Aleppo Governorate, Ahmad al-Ahmad, told North Press on Sunday.
Al-Ahmad said, “Official annual data and technical reports on the Maydanki Dam clearly show a sharp and continuous decline in water inflows since 2020.”
He added that inflows have dropped from 149 million cubic meters to an estimated 2.5 million cubic meters for 2025.
The official explained that “this catastrophic decline in inflows, caused by successive droughts and the scarcity of rainfall in the region, is the main and direct reason behind the dam’s water level decrease.”
Al-Ahmad stressed that irrigation withdrawals have remained below the dam’s design capacity and in line with actual water availability. “The Afrin irrigation project was designed for 118 million cubic meters annually, yet actual irrigation withdrawals have consistently been lower, falling from 106 million cubic meters in 2020 to a projected zero in 2025, as part of a necessary water scarcity management measure.”
“This demonstrates that water withdrawals are being managed in a way that preserves resources and adapts to the prevailing drought conditions, rather than being carried out arbitrarily.”
He concluded that the real solution lies in seeking alternative water sources, and implementing sustainable water management plans to confront the growing reality of water scarcity.
The Maydanki Dam was originally constructed in 1997 by the Syrian Ministry of Water Resources and officially opened in 2004. The dam was designed to store 64 million cubic meters of water, serving as the primary drinking water source for Afrin and Azaz, north of Aleppo.
Reporting by Malin Mohammed