Category: Water
When the revolution in Rojava began, the groundwater level was very low due mainly to industrial monoculture agriculture organised by the Syrian regime over the last four decades, as well as a decline in rainfall as a result of the global climate crisis.
In 2015, Turkey started to use water as a weapon against Rojava by holding back the water on the rivers which flow from Turkey to Syria through the dams it has been building over the last twenty years.
Then, in October 2019, Turkish state forces invaded some areas of North-East Syria, including the region of Serekaniye, which supplies water to almost half a million people in the region around Hasakah. The Alouk water station in Serekaniye was targeted on the first day of the invasion. Since then it has been fixed and then put out of service again repeatedly.
Since the start of the invasion of Serekaniye, Turkish military forces and their allies have continued to attack water infrastructure, burned newly planted orchards and dammed the rivers providing most of the fresh water and electricity to Syria. Hundreds of thousands of people are currently without safe reliable drinking water, a situation only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the articles below, you can find more information about issues surrounding water and the struggles for water autonomy in North and East Syria. There are also articles here with information on issues around water in southeastern Turkey, such as Turkish megaproject the Ilisu Dam, whose waters have now submerged the ancient city of Hasankeyf, drowning thousands of years of largely unexcavated human history and displacing an estimated 100,000 people, while giving Turkey unprecedented control over waters of the wider region.

DAA boosts schools in Deir Ezzor with solar and water solutions
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of Deir Ezzor (DAA) is implementing an environmental and developmental project in the governorate’s schools. The project involves installing solar energy systems to provide a stable, eco-friendly electricity source, improve the educational environment, reduce operational costs, and raise awareness about the importance of clean energy.
Dam Administration in NE Syria reveals first-half 2025 achievements
The Dam Administration in North and East Syria has announced its achievements for the first half of 2025, which included maintenance of equipment, testing of heat exchangers, replacement of transformers, and rehabilitation of ventilation networks, alongside ongoing efforts to restore Tishrin Dam.
Women make their villages green despite water shortage
The water shortage in villages around Mount Kizwan negatively affects women. Despite the water shortage, women find ways to make their villages green.
‘We must work to reforest Mount Kizwan’
“90% of trees on Mount Kizwan were cut down in four years. We must work together to reforest the mount,” said Meha Eid El-Hilû, who lives in a village close to Mount Kizwan.
City Women’s Assembly to be established in Muş
The municipality of Muş, won by the DEM Party, plans to establish a City Women’s Assembly to address women’s issues through women’s perspectives.
Oil pollution devastates Rojava: Toxic air, cancer, and barren land threaten recovery
North and East Syria (Rojava) suffers from extensive oil pollution caused by Turkish bombardments of oil refineries, significantly affecting rivers, fields, and air quality, and leading to an increase in cancer cases among residents.
Diminishing Water Flow from Turkey Signals Deepening Agricultural and Food Crisis in Syria’s Raqqa
Without immediate and coordinated intervention, both domestically and internationally, the water crisis in Raqqa will likely escalate into a broader humanitarian emergency. Reduced crop yields could lead to soaring food prices, deepening economic hardship, and even population displacement if farming becomes untenable.
Water crisis deepens in North-East Syria
Drought, insufficient rainfall and the impact of water policies are causing the water crisis in Cizire Canton to deepen. People in villages are facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to the drying up of drinking water and agricultural irrigation sources.
Cooperatives promote women’s economic empowerment in NE Syria
Kongra Star continues to develop projects and establish cooperatives in northeastern Syria to promote women’s economic empowerment.
Ayed water station shuts down due to Euphrates drop
The Ayed drinking water station has completely ceased operations due to the ongoing decline in the water flow of the Euphrates River, leading to a water outage affecting around 25,000 people. In response, the Water Unit of Tabqa Canton is making efforts to implement emergency solutions aimed at alleviating the severity of the crisis and ensuring the minimum water needs of the population are met.
Harvest of barley starts on foothills of Mount Kizwanan
Women living in the village of Fiwêda, located on the foothills of Mount Kizwanan have already started harvesting barley.