Deir Ezzor – Obadah al-Sheikh
Securing drinking water has become one of the biggest challenges facing residents in the city of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, amid demands for urgent responses from responsible authorities and humanitarian organizations.
Residents interviewed by Enab Baladi explained that the water shortage crisis threatens public health and affects the stability of the region, indicating that it requires fundamental and sustainable solutions.
The water crisis in Deir Ezzor is not a new issue but rather a chronic one resulting from factors that have accumulated over the years. The presence of the Euphrates River, the primary water source, has not alleviated the situation. Despite its availability, the river suffers from pollution due to industrial waste, untreated sewage, and debris resulting from military operations.
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, the causes of the water crisis include the lack of continuous electricity supply to the drinking water stations that operate on electrical power, and the delays in providing diesel fuel to operate the water stations that rely on diesel.
Other reasons include the shortage of operating personnel, especially technicians, and the absence of water network plans as these were lost with the destruction of the old institution’s building, along with the existence of old and damaged water lines still in operation that have not been disconnected from the network, in addition to infringements on the main lines of the network.
Economic burden on residents
The water crisis has had a direct impact on the daily lives of Deir Ezzor residents, manifesting in various aspects, where mobile tankers that do not meet strict health standards have become the only solution for residents, despite the risks they pose to health.
Bassem al-Dukhoul, a government employee in Deir Ezzor, told Enab Baladi that water pollution has led to the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, viral hepatitis, and kidney diseases, especially among children and the elderly.
He added that despite inspections by the Water Directorate, the water is still unsuitable for drinking due to increased chlorine levels and its odor.
He mentioned that residents are forced to buy water from mobile tankers at high prices or pre-packaged bottled water, creating a heavy economic burden on low-income families.
The long interruptions of water supply compel residents to search for unsafe alternatives, travel long distances to obtain water, or buy expensive water containers, costing around 3,000 Syrian pounds for a liter, while a family requires about ten liters daily.
A tanker with a capacity of five barrels (1,000 liters) costs about 35,000 Syrian pounds.
Multiple obstacles
Abdul Moneim al-Abdullah, the director of investment and maintenance at the Deir Ezzor Water Institution, told Enab Baladi that the water directorate faces numerous obstacles, primarily the use of old water networks made of iron and asbestos.
He added that illegal household connections made by citizens, along with the failure to disconnect old connections when updating the network due to residents’ lack of awareness, along with a shortage of heavy engineering machinery (excavators, loaders, cranes), all hinder the quick response to repair work.
He pointed out the lack of adequate liquidity for machine repair works and the urgent need for the complete rehabilitation of water stations, although the costs are extremely high and unavailable.
He noted that the theft and destruction of major water stations designed to supply all villages in Deir Ezzor province played a significant role in creating the water crisis.
Moreover, international organizations have ceased all construction-related work, considering it reconstruction that is banned due to economic sanctions, alongside the ban on importing pumping units from European countries.
He emphasized the lack of operating personnel and billing staff, which still work manually, in addition to a lack of engineering staff and the absence of water network plans executed previously, as these were lost with the complete destruction of the old buildings.
Over the past years, water pollution has caused diseases and epidemics in Deir Ezzor and its countryside, including cases of hepatitis A, cholera, and diseases affecting the stomach from food poisoning and its consequences.