Dear
Amid the violations and the never-ending bloody war, Turkey has started a water war. The Turkish authorities have used the Aluk water station as a political tool to cut off water in northeastern Syria in and around Hassakah province and deprive more than 300,000 citizens and thousands of displaced people and refugees in camps in the northeast of water. A group of local organizations issued a statement condemning Turkey’s cutting off water from the province. Also Human Rights Watch also issued a statement under the headline, “Turkey/Syria: Water is a weapon during a global epidemic?” The organization called on the Turkish government to stop using water as a weapon of war.
This time, Turkey has come to turn water dams in northeastern Syria as cannons and a war machine against The Syrians, all amid the increased risk of the spread of Covid-19 virus and the deterioration of health facilities whose main artery is water. Added to the increased risk of famine suffered by Syrians, this could lead to a complete breakdown of food security as the majority of the region’s population depends on agriculture as a source of food and there is no farming without water. It will also affect livestock and fish wealth, as well as power outages across the northeastern region of Syria, in the light of very high temperatures that reached 50 degrees on June 29th.
The deliberate cutting of water by the Turkish authorities from the water dams has led to a significant reduction in the water level of the Euphrates River, which supplies these dams.
The General Administration of Dams in the Euphrates region / NES announced that the water intake from the Turkish side amounted to less than a quarter of the internationally agreed quantity. The amount of water contained in The Tishreen Dam Lake on June 27th reached 322 cubic meters, while the water level in Tabqa Dam Lake was 301 cubic meters, as was the case with the Freedom Dam. These water levels are significantly lower as compared to previous years.
“The international agreement indicates that the water level from Turkey from the Euphrates River must not be less than 500 cubic meters per second, while the water intake is now not 200 cubic meters per second.”[MV1]
Move with us to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians because of the violations of the Turkish government, which continues to use all means as instruments of war, including water, in flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian standards.
Move with us and ask your governments to put pressure on the Turkish authorities to stop using water as a weapon of war against Syrians.
Take action with us to call on the UN Security Council to stop Turkish violations and provide water as a basic and legitimate right for the citizens of northern and eastern Syria.
Call on the United States and The Russian Federation as guarantors of agreements with Turkey to put pressure on the Turkish authorities to provide water and abide by the International Convention on the Amount of Water and not to use it as a weapon against The Syrians.
Your solidarity with civilians in northeastern Syria who live in their homes or are forcibly displaced from their homes and living in camps means a lot.
Move with us now before it’s too late.
TEVN Team
North-eastern Syria/Roj Ava