Kurdistan
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw (middle) received a delegation from the Kurdish National Council in Erbil on August 17, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw on Thursday said he has pledged the Kurdish National Council (ENKS) to resolve the issue of garbage piling up at camps housing refugees from northeast Syria (Rojava).
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stopped providing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services to Basirma, Darashakran and Qoshtapa Kawergosk camps in Erbil province on July 1, causing piles of garbage to form in the camps which house Kurds who have been displaced from Rojava in the last decade, fleeing war.
A delegation from the ENKS, including its representative Kawa Azizi, met with Governor Khoshnaw and other relevant authorities in the province on Wednesday, asking for the resumption of cleaning garbage services in the four camps.
“They gave us the good news that the issues of garbage, water and sewage [WASH], will be resolved in two days as they will sign a contract with a company to clean [the four camps],” Azizi told Rudaw's Halabja Saadun on Wednesday.
Khoshnaw confirmed to Rudaw English late Thursday that they have pledged to resolve the garbage and water issue.
ENKS, which is the main opposition umbrella group in Rojava, often tries to resolve the issues of Rojava refugees through meetings with the Kurdistan Region authorities.
Firas al-Khateeb, a spokesperson for UNHCR, told Rudaw earlier this month that they suspended the service as per a deal reached with the Kurdish government.
“There is a deal between the UNHCR and the government institutions which gives the responsibility of all services to the government. Our funds, which have been reduced, are instead spent on long-term solutions like the establishment of schools and health centers and many other projects,” he noted.
UNHCR has also cut funds to education, electricity and water services at camps.
Azizi said that they are in contact with Erbil authorities to resolve other issues of the refugees as well.
Updated at 7:45pm with comment from Omed Khoshnaw
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