HADEEL Al-OMAR

Idlib- The lack of water is one of the challenges faced by people living in the city of Idlib, controlled by the Turkish state and Turkish-backed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is water scarcity causing the spread of diseases in IDPs camps. The residents of camps have to pay high costs to buy drinking water. Therefore, many women have cut their hair to reduce water consumption.

‘Every drop of water becomes valuable’

Fadwa Abdulkarim (31), a displaced woman living in an IDPs camp located in the town of Hayesh, southern countryside of Idlib, is one of the women, who cut their hair due to water scarcity. “I had very long hair; however, I had to cut my hair and my daughters’ hair due to the lack of water,” she told NuJINHA. “I had no other choice. If you have children who need care and hygiene, every drop of water becomes valuable.”

Fadwa Abdulkarim has to buy water from private water trucking companies, which sell water very expensive. “It is very expensive. The amount I can afford to buy is insufficient for drinking and cooking. We have to consume water very carefully. We have to cut our hair because we are afraid of lice and skin diseases.”

‘It is a difficult decision’

“Not only male students, but also female students are cutting their hair due to the lack of water,” said Nour al-Naji (29), who works as a teacher for a school in one of the camps, northern Idlib. “Most cry when they cut their hair but they have to cut their hair.”

Nour al-Naji called on the authorities to find sustainable solutions to water scarcity. “For girls, long hair is like a part of their character. Cutting their hair is a difficult decision for them.”

 

“There is an increase in the number of women and girls who ask me to cut their hair,” said Nada al-Ghanoum (33), who works as a hairdresser in one of the camps. “They ask me to cut their hair to reduce water consumption due to difficult financial conditions.”