By Ayham Merhi – Al-Akhbar Newspaper

Translated by Staff

Turkey commits a “war crime” against more than one million civilians in which –again- it cut water off al-Hasaka and its countryside. It came after it intentionally operated the Alouk station –the central power station in the city- in the past two months with its minimal limits. As the negotiations between both the Turkish and Russian sides to find a solution are underway, al-Hasaka people raise their voices demanding to escalate pressure on Ankara, and force it to stop its crime.

Al-Hasaka - A picture went viral among the al-Hasaka residents, showing a man in his 80’s borrowing his son’s wheelchair to transport 20 liters of water. This shows the tragic situation of services in the governorate as a result of the American and Turkish occupations’ policies, and the limited authority of the Syrian government there. The reactions to the photo increased after Turkey stopped pumping water from Alouk station –again- for the thirteenth time in a row since its occupation of Ras Al-Ayn and its countryside. It deprived more than one million civilians in al-Hasaka and its countryside from all water sources. The problem aggravated in light of the increasing need for water as part of Coronavirus preventive measures where the governorate recorded 22 cases, in addition to the sharp increase in temperature.

Prior to the stopping of water pumping, Turkey intended to quite reduce water resources as an attempt to pressure both the Syrian and Russian sides and push them to send workshops to maintain electricity lines in Ras al-Ayn, including the power lines that supply the armed groups centers. In response to the latest Turkish measure, the Kurdish “Autonomous Administration” cut off the electrical supply from the Mabrouka electricity station which led to power cuts in Ras Al-Ayn, Tal Abyad, and their countryside. 

In light of the deplete of most stored drinking and consumption water and the cisterns inability to meet the peoples’ needs al-Hasaka water crises portends a humanitarian catastrophe. It reached the tenth day in the city and its countryside and the twenty-second day in its northern neighborhoods. The Director of the Water Company in al-Hasaka Mahmoud al-Ekla explains to “al-Akhbar” the water situation since the Turkish and armed groups’ occupation of Alouk station on October 9, 2019. Al-Ekla said: “Turkey cut off water to about one million civilians in Al Hasaka and its countryside for the thirteenth time since its occupation of the region, thus committing a war crime, during which it deprived civilians of the only water source available for them.” Al-Ekla revealed the “Turkish occupation intention to operate the Alouk station with its minimal limit in the last two months, which led to the decrease in water supply from 100,000m3 to less than 20,000m3.”

He added that “Those practices led to rationing increase and water didn’t reach every neighborhood of the city but each 12 days.” He pointed out that "negotiations between the Russian and Turkish sides to find solutions and pump water again to the city are underway." In this context, a source informed with the negotiations pointed out, in an interview with al-Akhbar, that “The governor of al-Hasaka informed the Russian side of the Syrian government's insistence on operating the station with its maximum capacity, and getting operation and maintenance employees back to work, with guarantees not to reduce the incoming from the station.” He pointed that “The Turkish side insists on relying on the government side to serve the areas it recently occupied, while the station is operated by workers from the local council of the Turks in the city.” Accordingly, informed sources expect the continuation of governmental and Russian efforts to restart the Alouk station at its maximum capacity and return employees back to work. This comes in an exchange for supplying Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn with electricity from Mabrouka station without interfering in maintenance work.”

In light of fears of an extended crisis, and the possibility of the Turkish side continuing its intransigence, the Kurdish ‘Autonomous Administration’ announced the start of 25 wells service from the al-Hama station, and the start of pumping towards the city's neighborhoods starting Sunday. However, this announcement appears to be formal, with the aim of escalating pressure on Ankara starting from the existence of Alouk station alternatives and the possibility of dispensing it in the future. This is confirmed by the fact that the al-Hama wells production capacity, which was announced to be reintroduced into service, can provide less than 10% of the governorate’s need [80,000 m3 of water per day].

At this time, several residents of al-Hasaka launched a "distress call " via social media platforms, entitled campaign “Thirst chokes al-Hasaka", in an attempt to draw attention to their tragedy. One of the campaign organizers told al-Akhbar that “its aim is to draw attention to a war crime committed against one million civilians, who have suffered from loss and shortage of drinking water for several months,” adding that “The goal is to convey their voices to international organizations and the United Nations to pressure and restrain Turkey. In addition to preventing it from making water a blackmail card used in its war against the Syrian people.” He stressed the need for "The Syrian government to allow Turkey to supply its besieged points in Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib countryside with supplies, in exchange for pumping water to al-Hasaka, as an additional governmental pressure card on the Turkish side."