{"id":129013,"date":"2025-08-30T10:17:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T10:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=129013"},"modified":"2025-08-30T10:17:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T10:17:22","slug":"residents-of-destroyed-deir-ez-zor-neighborhood-struggle-to-return-rebuild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/129013\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents of destroyed Deir ez-Zor neighborhood struggle to return, rebuild"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ali al-Beki\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>Once a lively hub in the heart of Deir ez-Zor city, eastern Syria, the al-Ardi neighborhood now stands as a stark symbol of destruction and neglect. Its original residents, forced into displacement by war, struggle to return to homes reduced to hollow ruins, devoid of even the most basic services. Despite repeated promises, the neighborhood continues to suffer from severe shortages of water and electricity, making return nothing more than a distant dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Struggle to return<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nizar Khalaf al-Melhem, a resident of Al-Ardi neighborhood, told North Press, the neighborhood is destroyed, but they are not asking for much. “We only want water and the electricity is available. We only want water so that the residents can return, and life can go back to how it was.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Now most people ask me, ‘Abu Khaled, do you go and come back?’ I tell them there is no water,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We go a long distance to fetch water even though we live here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Melhem explained that attempts to fill water tanks with truck deliveries often fail because the tankers break down frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that people want to return to their homes. Rebuilding the neighborhood will take time, but water is essential for people to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empty promises<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another resident, Ahmad Nafi\u2019 al-Haj Okla, stressed that Al-Ardi neighborhood suffers from deliberate neglect even though it sits in the middle of the city, linking the river and other neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Al-Ardi neighborhood has been forgotten since 2018. After Syria was liberated, the neighborhood was neglected. They restored the Hamidiyah neighborhood and Sheikh Yassin neighborhood and they restored other areas as well.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told North Press, “Al-Ardi neighborhood has no services. The people who lived here hoped that organizations would come and provide them with water and electricity, but it turned out to be only words.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okla explained the financial burden on residents. He noted that to get water to the house, they must pay between 400,000 and 500,000 Syrian pounds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Okla, electricity is almost nonexistent, and whoever wants it must pay 500,000 SYP for a very weak supply. No organizations, no aid, no one cares, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions blocking return<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ahmad Musa al-Saleh highlighted the security and environmental challenges preventing residents from settling back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI lived in my house for only about four months. In the first month, all my appliances burned out because of unstable electricity. The transformers are not regulated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, \u201cWe came hoping for job opportunities. I have a shop on Takaya Street, but it\u2019s not serviced. We also suffer from theft. I cannot leave my house for minutes because theft happens instantly. Even motorbikes get stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Saleh said, \u201cTakaya Street is paralyzed by rubble and dirt. Unless the debris is removed and residents return, life will not resume. Organizations came and took down our information, but we never saw results. We demand security against theft, street cleaning, and solutions for sewage problems. The roads are full of pits and debris, and most side streets are blocked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that some residents did return, but quickly left again because of the dire situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome went to Idlib, others to Aleppo. The situation is unbearable. Just days ago, a snake appeared among the rubble, and my neighbor was bitten by a scorpion. The spread of snakes, scorpions, and rodents is due to garbage and poor sewage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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