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.
Farmer Evin: The dam only brought poverty
Farmer Mehmet Sıddık Evin said that the Ilısu Dam, along with other dams built across the province, has destroyed the productivity of pistachio orchards: “These dams brought us nothing but poverty,” he said.
AANES to establish environmental analysis lab in Kobani
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said on Monday that preparations are underway to open an environmental analysis laboratory in the city of Kobani, northern Syria, to monitor and address pollution. Ahin Hussein, head of the Laboratories Department at the Kobani Environment Board, told North
People’s Council strengthens water supply in al-Mansoura
A major infrastructure project to supply drinking water is underway in al-Mansoura. A new pipeline and the expansion of a pumping station are expected to reach more than 40,000 households.A major infrastructure project to improve the drinking water supply is being implemented in the city of al-Mansoura in the autonomous region of North and East
Syria, ICRC, UNICEF discuss rehabilitation of Alouk water station in Hasakah
Syrian Deputy Minister of Energy for Water Resources Affairs, Osama Abu Zeid, met on Tuesday with delegations from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UNICEF to discuss strengthening cooperation in the water sector in Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, with a focus on rehabilitating the vital Alouk water station.
Village in Deir ez-Zor builds community-funded water filtration station
In the village of Zgheir Shamieh in Deir ez-Zor western countryside, eastern Syria, residents have taken matters into their own hands, launching a fully community-funded project to build a drinking water filtration station after more than a decade without safe water.
Experts in Hasakah address northeast Syria’s water shortages
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.
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.
