Syria’s Manbij environment sector warns of Euphrates’ high pollution
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Department of Environment of Civil Administration in the city of Manbij, north Syria, warned on Monday against high level of pollution in the Euphrates River water, resulting from decreasing level and discharging wastewater into the river.
Since early September, Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has announced cholera outbreak in its areas on control. The cholera infections come from decreasing level of the Euphrates water and contaminated drinking water, according to Health Board in northeastern Syria.
The decline in the Euphrates River level and accumulating wastes on its banks increase level of pollution, which resulted from population density and increasing industrial and agricultural actions in Manbij, Alaa al-Mawwas, an administrator in raising awareness office of Manbij Department of Environment.
He told North Press the pollution level hits more than 50% for several reasons, including discharging wastewater into the river directly and decreasing level of the river’s water Due to Turkey’s seizer of it water in the past two years.
Manbij lacks sewage treatment plants and laboratories to identify the level of riverine pollution.
On Sunday, a delegation of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) visited water directorate in the city of Kobani in northern Syria to check out the drinking water coming from the Euphrates River.
This is the first visit paid by the UNICEF. The delegation will report the management after completing the visit.
Al-Mawwas noted, “The decreasing level of the Euphrates was the reason behind the deterioration witnessed in all sectors that mainly rely on its water including agricultural sector, fisheries, and also resulted in decreasing groundwater and soaring water pollution, and turned the river to a hotbed for spread of epidemics of water-borne diseases.”
Turkey has been holding water of the Euphrates within its territory since 2020 amid warns that a humanitarian catastrophe is to face the region soon especially with the river declining to record levels.
Euphrates River recession due to Turkey’s seizing provides a proper environment for reproduction of bacteria and disease-causing viruses.
On Sunday, Health Committee in Manbij and its countryside warned against cholera outbreak after daily infections were recorded.
16 cholera-related deaths have been reported in northeast Syria up to date, according to AANES’ Health Board.