Turkish Attacks Worsen Water Crisis in Northeast Syria, Daily Brief October 26, 2023

The water from the truck “was yellow and looked rusty,” a resident of the Syrian city of al-Hasakeh explained.

But what other choice did they have? For drinking, cooking, hygiene, and sanitation – people need water.

The water station that used to supply the area fell under Turkish control following Turkey’s 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Since then, the people in the Kurdish-held areas have experienced lengthy interruptions in water supply.

People in al-Hasakeh and other cities and towns are forced to rely on water from unregulated, privately owned trucks, which is not only expensive but also often poor quality and untested. As standards of sanitation have slipped, there have been outbreaks of water-borne illnesses and disease, including cholera last year.

The conflict has been at the heart of the water problem. Turkey, which controls the water station, has been failing to operate it at full capacity, and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has been withholding electricity needed to power the station.

The situation has deteriorated dramatically this month after drone strikes by Turkish Armed Forces on Kurdish-held areas further damaged critical infrastructure and resulted in more water and electricity disruptions for millions of people.

The strikes hit more than 150 locations in north and east Syria in the governorates of al-Hasakeh, Raqqa, and Aleppo. They killed dozens of people, including civilians, and reportedly damaged civilian structures.

The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration confirmed the attacks on water and electrical power stations resulted in the “complete cutoff of electricity and water supply” from al-Hasakeh governorate. Critical oil installations and the only operational gas plant for domestic use in northeast Syria were also damaged by Turkey’s attacks.

All this only deepens the water crisis for people in al-Hasakeh.

This month’s drone strikes are not the first time Turkey appears to have intentionally targeted civilian infrastructure and deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis.

And time and again, it’s the people in places like al-Hasakeh, buying rusty yellow water from an unregulated truck, who bear the brunt of Turkey’s bombardment and destruction.