‘Turkish state uses water as a ‘weapon’ against the people of Hasakah’
In Hasakah, women have been going through difficult times because Turkish forces have turned off the Alok water pumping station. The women call on the international community to raise their voice against this crime being committed by the Turkish state.
DELAL REMEZAN
Hasakah- The Turkish state has turned off the Alok water pumping station located in the Hasakah Canton of North and East Syria since it occupied Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) in 2019. Women in the canton have been going through difficult times due to turning off the station.
It was declared as a disaster area
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) declared Hasakah Canton as a disaster area on July 3, 2023 due to the water shortage. The women living in the canton think that the Turkish state uses water as a ‘weapon’ against the people of the canton.
‘We have been suffering from a water shortage since the occupation’
Waza Al-Salem, who had to leave the city of Serêkaniyê after the city was occupied by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions, said, “We have been suffering from a water shortage since the occupation. My financial situation is bad so I cannot buy water from water tanker trucks. Some organizations serve free drinkable water by using water tanker trucks; however, there are many people waiting to get drinkable water from these trucks and sometimes we cannot get water. The international community should take a step to end the Turkish occupation.”
‘We have to buy dirty drinking water’
“The Turkish forces and Turkish-backed factions have been turning off the Alok water pumping station since they occupied Serêkaniyê,” said Hadiya Muhammad Saeed, another woman living in Hasakah Canton. “Our financial situation is not good to buy clean drinking water. So, we have to buy dirty drinking water. Children mostly suffer from stomachaches and diarrhea.”
Calling on the international community to fulfill its duty towards the people of North and East Syria, Hadiya Muhammed Saeed said, “The Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions committing crimes against humanity in the east of Syria must be stopped.”