Deir ez-Zor, Syria – The repercussions of the Euphrates River flooding continue in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province. The affected areas are expanding as several drinking water pumping stations go out of service,
raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis that threatens hundreds of thousands of residents.
Water stations out of service
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that floodwaters completely submerged
the village of al-Baghiliya in the Deir ez-Zor countryside after torrents swept through civilian homes.
Streets in the village were also flooded, forcing many families to flee to higher ground and nearby farmland to escape the rising water levels.
The Observatory noted that the damage extended to vital infrastructure.
Several main drinking water pumping stations were forced to shut down after floodwaters reached the engine rooms and electrical panels.
It explained that the pumping station in the town of al-Tub, in the eastern countryside, was completely out of service.
The first pumping station in al-Kashkiya, in the al-Shu’aytat area east of the province,
also ceased operation. Additionally, the al-Kubr pumping station in the western countryside was shut down.
The al-Harmoushiya station, the town’s sole source of drinking water, sustained damage that threatens to force it to shut down.
Warnings of a humanitarian, health and environmental crisis
The Observatory confirmed that the shutdown of these stations threatens to deprive tens of thousands of residents of clean water,
potentially forcing them to use river water directly despite the risk of contamination.
In an effort to alleviate the suffering of the residents, a humanitarian waterway was opened in
the Mayadin area under the supervision of the Syrian Navy and the Syrian Army.
This waterway aims to transport civilians and humanitarian cases by boat free of charge after the temporary floating bridges became unusable.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warned of a potential health and environmental catastrophe resulting
from the mixing of floodwater with sewage and the shutdown of the treatment plants.
It called on international organizations and humanitarian agencies to intervene urgently
to provide potable water and emergency pumping equipment to mitigate the worsening crisis in the province.
