The water supply in northeastern Syria has been interrupted and may affect efforts to prevent the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, UNICEF warned in a statement on Monday. The administration in the autonomous region has appealed for help to prevent a potential disaster, saying they are not equipped to handle the pandemic.
The Allouk station provides water for some 460,000 people in Hasakah city, as well as the al-Hol and Areesha camps for displaced persons. The station is located near Seri Kani, a town on the border with Turkey, and came under Turkish control when Ankara launched its military campaign against Kurdish forces in northern Syria last fall. It has been in and out of service several times.
“The interruption of water supply during the current efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease puts children and families at unacceptable risk. Handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against COVID-19,” UNICEF stated.
UK-based conflict monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkish forces were responsible for the interruption.
UNICEF is trucking water into the affected areas, but warned “this barely covers minimum needs if the water supply is interrupted again.”
“No child should have to live even one day without safe water. Clean water and handwashing save lives. Water and water facilities must not be used for military or political gains – when they do, children are the first and most to suffer,” the children’s rights agency stated.
There have been no reported cases of coronavirus in northeastern Syria, but authorities instituted a 15-day curfew beginning Monday as a precaution. Damascus reported the first case in the country on Sunday.
The health commission of the Kurdish-led autonomous region of northeast Syria, known as Rojava, appealed for assistance from the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) to provide medical supplies.
“We have taken precautionary measures, as done by other countries. We imposed curfew, halted work in our institutions, banned gatherings, and closed schools and universities,” read the statement. “However, despite all these measures, our region is still under serious threat as we lack the basic equipment and medication to treat the infected, including ventilators and devices for the initial containment of the disease.”
The Allouk station provides water for some 460,000 people in Hasakah city, as well as the al-Hol and Areesha camps for displaced persons. The station is located near Seri Kani, a town on the border with Turkey, and came under Turkish control when Ankara launched its military campaign against Kurdish forces in northern Syria last fall. It has been in and out of service several times.
“The interruption of water supply during the current efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease puts children and families at unacceptable risk. Handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against COVID-19,” UNICEF stated.
UK-based conflict monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkish forces were responsible for the interruption.
UNICEF is trucking water into the affected areas, but warned “this barely covers minimum needs if the water supply is interrupted again.”
“No child should have to live even one day without safe water. Clean water and handwashing save lives. Water and water facilities must not be used for military or political gains – when they do, children are the first and most to suffer,” the children’s rights agency stated.
There have been no reported cases of coronavirus in northeastern Syria, but authorities instituted a 15-day curfew beginning Monday as a precaution. Damascus reported the first case in the country on Sunday.
The health commission of the Kurdish-led autonomous region of northeast Syria, known as Rojava, appealed for assistance from the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) to provide medical supplies.
“We have taken precautionary measures, as done by other countries. We imposed curfew, halted work in our institutions, banned gatherings, and closed schools and universities,” read the statement. “However, despite all these measures, our region is still under serious threat as we lack the basic equipment and medication to treat the infected, including ventilators and devices for the initial containment of the disease.”
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