HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – A water forum was launched on Sunday in the city of Hasakah, organized by the Union of Municipalities in North and East Syria, with the participation of academics, experts, and representatives of specialized institutions, coinciding with World Water Week.
Berivan Silo, co-chair of the Water Directorate in Hasakah, told North Press that the forum focused on key issues concerning the state of water resources in the region and the challenges they face.
She explained that the first session examined the situation in the Jazira region, addressing agricultural challenges and growing pressure on water resources. The second and third sessions focused on Kobani, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, highlighting the decline in the Euphrates River’s water level, the impact of dams, and problems related to drinking and irrigation water, as well as pollution and its humanitarian consequences.
According to Silo, the fourth and fifth sessions addressed the use of water as a weapon of war and control over water sources as a political tool, warning of the serious implications for food security. The discussions also underscored the direct impact of water shortages on women and children.
At the conclusion of the forum, participants issued several recommendations, including the development of a unified water strategy to establish an integrated framework for managing water resources across northeast Syria.
The forum also stressed the importance of documenting violations related to the use of water as a weapon, addressing international organizations on the issue, and amending agricultural policies by promoting rain-fed agriculture. Participants further called for urgent international engagement, appealing to humanitarian and international organizations to highlight the humanitarian disaster caused by water deprivation and to exert political pressure to stop the use of water as a weapon.
