ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A scarcity of clean water and the scorching summer heat have led to a high risk of disease among the population of Hasaka in northeastern Syria.
Syria’s civil war, now in its tenth year, has damaged much of the country’s infrastructure and killed hundreds of thousands. Millions have been displaced within the country and are living in dire conditions.
“The water is not suitable for drinking,” Faris Hemo, the head of Hasaka National Hospital, told Rudaw on Friday. “People get poisoned by the water,” he said, adding the symptoms they displayed showed they had consumed contaminated water
Hemo said 1,359 people have fallen ill due to contaminated water in the Hasaka province since early April.
Another 369 were diagnosed with acute diarrhea, he added.
Since parts of northern Syria are controlled by Turkey-backed opposition groups, water cuts have become common.
Turkish-backed forces in Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) have repeatedly cut off the water to Hasaka from Allouk water station, a major source of water for Hasaka
When the water is cut off, residents are forced to buy water tanks and rely on wells, with health authorities warning the water was not suitable for drinking.
Translation by Zhelwan Zeyad Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
