The low water level of the Euphrates River has triggered the farmers' concerns in northeastern Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces over the fate of summer crops and the water crisis in all.
Abdul Hadi al-Jaziri, a 45-year-old farmer, told Zaman al-Wasl that farmers' main trouble is related to electricity, drinking water and irrigation water.
The water level in the Euphrates Dam is degrading, which will negatively affect the population and agriculture in areas controlled by the US-backed Kurdish forces.
The drinking water crisis in the city of Tabqa that is located on the banks of the lake, has escalated since the beginning of the decline in the Euphrates water import from Turkey during the past weeks. Residents buy untreated water from tankers at a price of 500 SYP ($0,20). Whereas, the municipalities of Al-Tabqa city and the towns of Al-Mahmoudli and Al-Suwaydiyah distribute part of the residents' needs.
Residents expect the dam turbines will stop turning within a month because there are no quantities of water capable of being recycled if the situation continues like this, because electricity currently reaches from 4 pm to 12 at night only, and things are worse for agriculture in Raqqa, and if water is sent, the situation will improve within a week.
The Dams Administration in the Kurdish Autonomous Administration stated a few days ago that "the highest storage level in the Euphrates Dam Lake is 304 meters above sea level, and the current day level is 298.85 meters, and the drop caused by cutting the water is 5 vertical meters.
The dams administration assured that the continuation of the decline means that all dams will completely stop generating electricity, and the remaining water in the dam will be preserved for both drinking and irrigation needs.
One of the supervisors of the Balikh irrigation channel, Abd al-Rahman al-Khader, said last week that the water level of the Euphrates Lake had fallen to less than 300 meters, a critical level that would lead to the Euphrates stopping generating electricity. Thus, the dam management will be forced to stop the Balikh canal, which irrigates more than 100 thousand hectares.
The flow of the Al-Balikh irrigation channel decreased from 93 m3 to 60 m3 which will not cover the need for summer crops that consume large quantities of water, such as cotton, yellow corn and all kinds of vegetables.
In the countryside of Deir Ezzor, a large part of the water stations have been out of service due to the continued decline in the level of the Euphrates River, which threatens summer agriculture after the failure of the winter season as a result of drought and pump failures due to neglect and the poor quality of diesel.
The Syrian Ministry of Water Resources announced days ago that the General Organization for Drinking Water and Sewerage in Hasaka had signed a contract with an Iranian company to install water desalination units in the governorate, which suffers from a shortage of drinking water, especially after the use of electricity and water as a means of pressure between Turkish officials and Kurdish leaders.
Minister of Water Resources, Tamam Raad, said that the Iranian PFK Company will provide four desalination units, each one with a capacity of 10 m3 per hour, to desalinate water wells in the city of Hasaka.
He added that this project comes within the framework of the Ministry's urgent efforts to increase the sources of drinking water in the city.
The local council in Turkish-hedl Ras Al-Ain region announced last week that the water and electricity shortages were caused by the Kurdish forces cut off the electricity under the pretext of excessive drainage, and in return the water pumping stopped due to the lack of electricity.
The council said that there are ongoing Russian-Turkish negotiations in order to deliver electricity and water.
Zaman Al Wasl
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