State-run media outlets on Thursday have reported a state of panic among the residents of Barada Valley west of the capital, after dozens of people were hospitalized with diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe vomiting. After a prolonged silence, the regime stated that the polluted water is the cause behind these cases.
The regime-affiliated newspaper, Al-Baath, reported the news media and contacted the director of health of Damascus countryside, who confirmed the situation claiming that they have received 79 cases of water poisoning in Ashrafieh al-Wadi and Jadida al-Shaibani, in Wadi Barada.
The water official said that they had taken samples from the water of one of the wells suspected to be contaminated, and that they are awaiting the results of the analyses today, and that the appropriate treatment has been provided to the hospitalized, monitoring their state in case of any developments.
While the regime’s narrative states that one water well caused this outbreak, the number of casualties has actually reached the hundreds according to the comments people left on the news published by Al-Baath.
People from Qudsaya talked about the same poisoning symptoms and that the children in particular are complaining of severe abdominal pain. The numbers are certainly greater than what news media have reported.
The deep causes of the water crisis afflicting the region are unclear. Some link it to the overall crises in the country, specifically in regions controlled by the regime's militias.
Since regime forces took control of the Wadi Barada, with Russian support, they started implementing practices and procedures directly against the people of the region. In fact, al-Assad has issued a decree banning drilling wells, and allowing only a few professions, namely farming and grazing, in a clear retaliation against the people for their rebellion against his authority.
Zaman Al Wasl
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