The Public Drinking Water and Sanitation Establishment in Latakia, in cooperation with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, ADRA, has completed the rehabilitation and operation of al-Qalamoun water station in the governorate’s countryside, after years of complete shutdown caused by deterioration and damage.

The strategic step is intended to end a water shortage crisis and secure stable drinking water for nearly 20,000 people in nine villages in rural Latakia.

The project also helps diversify water supply sources to reduce total dependence on al-Sin spring, creating water savings that ease service pressure on the al-Jouba-Istamo axis and nearby villages. It also improves supply to villages and irrigated areas served by the Dahr Dabbash reservoir and al-Qalaa station, according to Mahmoud Amouri, director of the media office at the General Water Administration affiliated with the Ministry of Energy, who spoke to Enab Baladi earlier.

On February 8, the Ministry of Energy announced that the Public Drinking Water and Sanitation Establishment in Latakia, in cooperation with ADRA, had begun implementing the project to rehabilitate al-Qalamoun station on al-Qalamoun spring, after the station had been out of service for a long period.

Amouri told Enab Baladi at the time that al-Qalamoun station had been completely out of operation for several years because of deterioration in its facilities, which negatively affected water security in the area.

The villages and areas served by the station were forced to rely completely on the al-Jouba, Istamo axis, fed by al-Sin spring, to meet their water needs.

Amouri explained that al-Qalamoun station went out of service because of severe deterioration in its main equipment and systems due to age, in addition to partial collapse in the building housing the pumps and reservoir.

Abdel Khaleq Diab, director general of the Public Drinking Water and Sanitation Establishment in Latakia, said today, Sunday, June 14, that the project included rehabilitating the station’s main facilities, systems, and equipment, as well as restoring the pump building and the main reservoir.

Diab attributed the extension of the project’s work period until the current month to what he described as field and weather challenges linked to the mountainous nature of the area and its heavy rainfall.

Rehabilitation Works

The project includes comprehensive rehabilitation of the station through the complete reconstruction of the station room, preparing it to accommodate the new equipment, and rehabilitating the old reservoir. It also includes installing two new pumps, each with a flow rate of 18 cubic meters per hour and a lifting capacity of 235 meters.

It also includes laying a new 2,400-meter polyethylene water line to ensure efficient water transmission without loss, and installing the electrical equipment needed to operate the station, including a transformer, diesel generator, and control panels, according to what Amouri told Enab Baladi at the time.

Al-Qalamoun station is one of the main water sources for surrounding villages. Its shutdown over the past years reduced distribution efficiency and increased pressure on alternative sources, making its rehabilitation and operation an important step in improving the water situation in the area.