(Eqtsad)- The land between Rastan dam and the river of al-Asi is considered the main agricultural land and the “food basket” for the Northern countryside of Homs, as it supply the local market with more than 75% of vegetables and crops, and it is considered one of the main food source that helped Homsi people to survive during the 4-year blockade.
Over the last five years, there was no significant decrease in the level of water in the lake of Rastan Dam, which enabled farmers to draw water from the lake using water pumps which enabled them to plant and irrigate their corps of vegetables like potatoes, onions and tomatoes and others.
However, recently, the Syrian regime has started reducing the level of water in the lake and stopped supplying the river of al-Asi with water from the lake of Qatina, that reduced the ability to draw water and irrigate land, threatening farmers of losing their crops added to threatening the fish existence in the river and the area.
Farmer were worried about reducing the level of water in lake of Rastan dam, since a meter drop in the level of water, would increase the fuel consumption for about 20 litres of diesel per an hour.
Abo Mohammed, a farmer relying on the water of Rastan lake to irrigate his land, told Eqtsad: “last year we were worried about the drop of the water level, because if that happened, the pumps’ consumption of diesel would increase to 20 litres per an hour, however, this year, with the recent drop of water level, the pumps consumption raise to more than 25 litres per an hour”.
Farmers who are already financially over-stretched, they tried to cooperate to buy a system for drawing water and irrigate their land, but the recent level of water in the lake make it difficult to irrigate one field, added to the high cost, which threatens 40% of crops.
When the Syrian regime closed the water gates between Qatina lake and al-Asi river, preventing water supply to it in order to keep its level of water, led to drought in fields of villages of al-Ganto, Deir Maala and Granada.
The level of water has dropped in the artesian wells in the Northern countryside of Homs due to the reduction of water in Rastan lake, since it is the main source of water feeding the region's wells, that threatening the area of drought and desertification.
Abo Manhal, an agricultural engineer told Eqtsad that the level of water had decreased significantly in the last 15 years, since the since the drying the swamp of Sahel al-Ghab, as the underground water used to be reachable at a depth of 30 meters but these days, it is reached at more than 70 meters.
Fishes and fishing are at risk in Rastan lake as well. At least 15% of the population of the northern countryside of rely on fishing as main source of income. The dam has provided the poor with some of their needs, however , after drying the lake at this time of the year may threaten the fish growth in the lake, due to coinciding with the time of fish mating.
Abo Fayez, a resident of the town of Granada, told Eqtsad that he had lost his job after getting out of the prison, and found no job to do apart from fishing, but he thought that since the lake is drying up especially at the time of fish mating, fishes existence in the lake would be at risk, and his source of income as well.
The price of fish before the dryness of the lake ranged between 1000 and 1500 Syrian pounds according to size and kind, but these days the one kilo of fish is more than 2300 Syrian pound and hardly available.
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