We all need water to live

Drought has been described as a “creeping disaster” by scientists because its effects are not felt at once.

Yet its impact on millions of Syrians has been rapid and destructive.

“Our biggest problem is water”

Yassin is a 55-year-old farmer from rural Hasakah, in north-east Syria. Agriculture and livestock are his main means of income. The wheat and barley crops that his land produces cover his household needs, and barley is the main source of food for his livestock.

But when drought came to Syria, his financial security was shaken.

“Our biggest problem is water. Humans, animals and land – we all depend on water to live,” says Yassin, summarising the crisis he and other villagers are dealing with.

The area where Yassin lives normally receives rain. But their lands were affected by drought this year and failed to produce harvests, leaving the villagers fully reliant on their livestock.

If one of our chicks dies, we declare it as a disaster, if a baby sheep gets sick you will hear its owner moaning.
Yassin, 55, a farmer from rural Hasakah

“Our animals are the only way we can live with dignity. We share the water we buy from mobile water tanks with them. If one of our chicks dies, we declare it as a disaster, if a baby sheep gets sick you will hear its owner moaning,” says Yassin.

The villagers are now searching for other water and food sources for themselves and their animals.

“This year we are all thinking of ways to provide food for our animals. We cannot reduce the cost of buying feed, and we don’t have enough income to cover the costs,” explains Yassin.

Many villagers have ended up leaving to seek other means of income in other parts of the country.

The population in Yassin’s village has decreased dramatically, from 4,500 to around 500 to 600 individuals.

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Agriculture under threat

Yassin’s village is not alone. Farmers across Syria are facing similar conditions. The country has experienced low rainfall for the past two years, averaging 50–70 per cent of normal levels across all Syrian provinces. The drought has been the most severe and widespread to have hit the country in years.

North-east Syria is the country’s food basket. It exports strategic crops and provides the majority of Syria’s wheat and barley. When agriculture is affected there, the impact is felt across the country.

A parched wheat field in rural Hasakah. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

More Syrians are becoming “food insecure” – meaning they don’t have reliable access to healthy, nutritious food. Many livelihoods are being lost, as agriculture in Syria is a major productive sector, and more Syrians are being pushed into adopting negative coping mechanisms.

In the longer term, this will drive people to abandon agriculture altogether and head towards the cities.

Water shortages are affecting millions of Syrians. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

12.4 million Syrians suffer from food insecurity – meaning they don’t have reliable access to healthy, nutritious food.

1.3 million Syrians are facing severe food insecurity.

1.8 million Syrians will become food insecure if things don’t improve.

Source: World Food Programme, February 2021

Historically low water levels in the Euphrates

The Euphrates is the largest river in Syria. Originating in Turkey, it is a major source of clean drinking water and hydroelectric power. The latest UN estimates indicate that over five million people, including those in north-east Syria, are reliant on the river for their drinking water, and approximately three million people depend on it for electricity.

A dry riverbed in rural Hasakah. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

In recent months, water levels in the Euphrates have become critically low. This has led to a historic shrinkage in water levels at the Tishreen dam and Tabqa dam, causing widespread power shortages and limited access to water.

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A parched wheat field in rural Hasakah. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

Water shortages are affecting millions of Syrians. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

A dry riverbed in rural Hasakah. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

“We are forced to ration our water wisely”

Zakia, a 65-year-old grandmother from Al Hasakah Governorate, is one of the millions of Syrians affected by the shortages.

“We have lifted the water tap to a higher place where my grandchildren cannot reach, as we are forced to ration the water we have wisely,” she says.

“I see them sneaking up with a chair and whispering to each other: ‘let us wash our hands before she catches us and yells at us!’ What can I do? I am forced to yell at them every time they use the water to wash their hands because if they did, we would not have water to drink.”

In the urban area where Zakia lives with her 72-year-old husband, the water crisis is affected by other factors that add to the complexity of the humanitarian situation.

In Hasakah city, the continuous disruption of Alouk water station, which provides clean drinking water to around one million people, is one of the main causes of suffering.
This is not a new issue for the people of Hasakah. The disruptions – such as insufficient electricity supply and limited access for technicians to carry out maintenance and repairs – reportedly started in November 2019 and are still ongoing.

This leaves Syrians like Zakia and her husband waiting by the window for the mobile water tanks to arrive.

“We wait for four or five days until they come to the neighbourhood. Whenever we see a water tank we get four or five barrels and wait under the burning sun in line to fill them,” says Zakia.

“Sometimes people fight with each other while waiting in line and we do not get to fill our barrels. Standing in the line does not mean that you will get water. Sometimes we wait for hours and hours only to come back empty-handed and feeling humiliated.”

“This will affect children’s growth”

Usually, the responsibility of carrying water from the mobile water tanks rests on the shoulders of children. Abd Al Hamid is a sports teacher at Edwar Ewas School in Hasakah. During the summer break, he saw many of his students lifting heavy water containers.

“In the streets of Hasakah, you can see children standing next to the water tanks and waiting in line to fill their containers,” he says.

“By looking at the way they walk, you can tell which ones have to buy water daily from those who do not.

“Children’s bones are soft and when they lift heavy water containers every day, their backs arch and their joints receive too much pressure. This will affect their growth and result in malformations in their spines.”

“The water from the wells is undrinkable”

Access to water has gradually worsened and water cuts have increased in severity, to a point where it is no longer enough to fill all of the water containers you have in the house.

“Before, water would come every three days, then every 15 days. It was bad, but at least we were able to fill our house’s water tank and do some chores. Now we can barely fill a few bottles for drinking,” says Hezbia, a 25 year old from Hasakah.

Her family drilled a well near their house, a solution many families in Hasakah have resorted to. Yet it is an expensive process and the water is not drinkable.

“In order to afford the cost, every two neighbourhoods came together to drill a well,” Hezbia explains.

“Before, drilling a 10-15 metre well would cost around 2,000,000 Syrian pounds [equivalent to USD 784.31], but now the prices are even higher. Because of the extensive water consumption from the wells, you now have to drill at least 32 metres.

“The water we extract from the wells is undrinkable. It has salt in it and we can only use it for minimal household chores like washing the floor. We cannot even use it to water our plants, because it will harm them and they might die.”

I want to run away from the tragedy we are living in here in Hasakah. Here, no matter how hard you work, you will not be able to secure even your most basic needs.
Hezbia, 25, from Hasakah

Drinking the water from the wells has caused many people to suffer skin and kidney diseases, some requiring hospital treatment.

“A woman that lives in my neighbourhood miscarried because she drank well water. I remember she suffered a lot and had many procedures,” recalls Hezbia.

Hezbia graduated as an engineer. She wants to build her life, like all young people, and is searching for opportunities – yet when she thinks of her future, her imagination goes outside Syria’s borders.

“I want to travel to Europe, to run away from the tragedy we are living in here in Hasakah. At least there I will have access to basic services like water and electricity. At least there, I will be able to feel safe and live a normal life. Here, no matter how hard you work, you will not be able to secure even your most basic needs,” she says.

The current situation in Syria threatens to have disastrous economic, social and environmental consequences that will intensify and prolong the impacts of a decade of conflict.

An “undrinkable water” sign on a well in rural Hasakah. Photo: Tareq Mnadili/NRC

Even more Syrians risk falling into food and water insecurity, creating tension between different segments of society and potentially driving waves of internal and external migration. This will complicate both the people’s needs and the humanitarian response.

All parties must scale up their efforts to reach Syrians in need all over the country and provide them and their families with much-needed support.