(Zaman Al Wasl)- Following the Russian-brokered evacuation deal of late April, Syrian regime forces took control of al-Ruhaiba and the eastern towns of Qalamoun. Since then the residents of the city ofal-Ruhaiba of the eastern region of Qalamoun near the capital, had been suffering from a serious crisis of the provision of drinking water, due to the interruption that often exceeds 50 days, amid the temperature rise, and the frequent power outages.
Ahmed Musa (pseudonym) told Zaman al-Wasl that what concerns them the most is that the regime has ignored all of the many demands and complaints they have issued to government officials , In order to facilitate the procedures of drilling new wells, that would resolve the long lasting thirst threat.
The new program of water distribution system consists of the distribution of water from main water network to the residents each 30 days, but currently, the water is being distributed every 50 days.
Which has left them unable to fully fill their water tanks, as a result of the reduction ofthe hours of the water allocated to the residential areas, to 8 hours, alongside the continuous interruptions of power, so they are more careful to rationalize the use of water in the various hygienic and domestic chores
In the face of this deteriorating water situation, the majority of households of al-Ruhaiba are forced forced to buy water tankers, whose prices have risen in proportion to the income of those families. According to Mussa, the price of a drinking water tank of 5 meters, costs from 3000 to 5000SP, which can barely cover the family’s consumption of water for only about a week.
Mussa has estimated that the average household needs three water tankers per month, which is equivalent to about 10,000 SP, that exceeds their economic capacity, especially since most of them are currently unemployed, adding to that the increase of the family expenses during this period of the year, due to the seasons of holidays, mortar, schools and heating.
‘Abu Muhammad’, a retired civil engineer, revealed that that the random drilling of water wells -which was the only solution left for the families for asource of water- has worsened the water crisis, Especially after the regime’s neglect and its refusal to provide security and material facilities to dig new artesian wells of the new main project, which would supply the city's neighborhoods with the need for drinking water.
He added that the multiplication of the number of these random wells which were drilled even more profoundly in the last five years, in order to make use of the underground water, resulted in the decrease of the water level for the rest of the neighbouring lands in that region.
According to what Abu Mohammad, the underground water supply isn’t only used for domestic activities but is also used to water some summer crops and trees.
Lately, residents of al-Ruhaiba, who are estimated to be 50,000 people, have launched a campaign through under the hashtag ‘We are thirsty’. The campaign’s aim to demand better water services and to draw the attention of the regime’s government to the severe shortage in drinking water, suffered by the city’s inhabitants.
This campaign comes as a response to the repeated refusal of the officials of the Irrigation ministry to sign any documents that permits the drilling of new wells in the town of Muadamyet al-Qalmoun. These refusals were legitimized under the pretext that contractors who have submitted the drilling tenders demanded high prices.
The residents are also requesting the completion of the technical equipment for their local hospital after an unjustified negligence that lasted many years, the hospital that provides treatment for a huge number of patients from all around the areas of the Damascus’s countryside as well as it provides the patients with a large number of medical staff.
Zaman Al Wasl
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