By Ezzedin Zakkour
(Eqtsad)- Water crisis almost all over Syria is one of the main problems face people, amid continuous interruption and cut off over villages and towns of the countryside Idlib and Aleppo.
Even the "humanitarian Electricity Line” was not able to sort out the problem, due to the high cost of diesel which reaches to 60,000 Syrian pound per a barrel.
Added to the disagreement between regime and local council on the amount allowed to each party’s area and the amount allowed to liberated areas of Aleppo and Idlib.
Despite all difficulties, people in the countryside of Idlib are still looking for different ways to secure water. One of them Abo Mohammed, a resident of the village of Akrabat in the countryside of Idlib, who told Eqtsad that they need a full tank of water each week at cost of 2500 Syrian pounds making 10,000 pounds per month, which is equivalent to more than one-third of income. He angrily added that water had become a pressurizing additional costs amid the unprecedented soaring prices, added to the lack of control over the prices of tanks of water as each dealer asks for a price according to his will.
Prices of tanks' water fluctuate from region to region, sometimes the difference reaches to the double, for example, in some areas the tank of water’s price is 1500 Syrian pounds, while in an adjacent area could be sold for 3000 Syrian pounds.
Eqtsad identified many reasons of that, one of them the limited number of tanks especially in the towns and villages of small areas and populations, which encourages tanks’ owners to take a chance of the situation monopolize water to raise prices.
Moreover, some local councils play a good role in bringing prices of water down, by contracting some tanks owners to provide them with water at low price in order to sell it to people at reasonable cost.
The media spokesman of the city council of Ma’arat Masrin, Mostafa Sarmadawi detailed to Eqtsad that the local council has after stopping the ability to pump water to villages, started running water springs on the expense of the Council to provide tankers with water at low price of 500 Syrian pounds on condition to sell it for 2000, relieving people of 1000 Syrian pounds.
Sarmadawi added that if an organization or relief agencies or bodies support the project, it would help more people and bring prices lower.
Mustafa Abo Mohammed, a tank driver, commented on the subject saying: “the price of the tank of water relies on many factors for us, such as the power of pumping and the time taken to fill the tank which is different from spring to another”.
Mohammed Ibrahim, an activist in the city of Atarb in Western Countryside of Aleppo detailed to Eqtsad the support by different organizations in providing water to his city, although it is not stable. For example, the local council collects an amount of 1000 Syrian pounds from each house to maintain the continuity of service, which was welcomed by people as it is much better than spending 10,000 Syrian pounds for tank water, the same plan is expected to start in Sarmada city in the countryside of Idlib, but it mainly depends on the response of the people and finding a way to collect money from people for this service.
Omar Mustafa has after two years of water crisis begun working on the water tank, especially when the situation extremely worsened in his hometown of Hzano in the Northern countryside of Idlib. This job has become his source of living. He told Eqtsad that water tanks used to be used for agriculture and farming, have become a well profitable jobs in light of the increased demand for purchasing water. He detailed that daily income varies between 4,000 and 5,000 Syrian pounds, stressing that the job needs lots of effort and time.
Abdul- Ghani, an owner of water spring and Omar Mustafa fill his tanks of it, he had decided 4 months ago to reconstruct his family’s agricultural project by using the well and equip it with water pump to become water source. He detailed that the reconstruction had cost him $3000, but the project was very profitable.
As the water crisis has prolonged, people started thinking of digging wells, one of them Mohammed Saleh from the Southern countryside who decided to dig a well in the backyard of his house at a cost of $3000.
Nizar Bohairi from Saraqib countryside, on owner of wells digger, reported that demand of digging wells has increased in recent days, especially amid the chaotic situation and lack of accountabilities, and taxes, with the presence of the killing crisis of water. He detailed that prices are agreed before hand with customers, for a well 50 meters deep, the cost is 1000 Syrian pounds per meter, while it reaches to 1500 Syrian pounds per a meter for a 100-well deep. The cost can reach to 500,000 Syrian pounds for a well of 200 meter depth.
Abo Abdo, a resident of the town of al-Jina in the Western countryside of Aleppo confirmed that digging a well could save thousands of pounds, as all what needed is a small water pump that operates on diesel which cost 300 Syrian pounds per a liter, which enables owners to fill all water stores at home, saving in this about 10,000 Syrian pounds a month on buying tanks water.
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