By Sanullah Ataullah
DOHA: Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) has set up 25 facilities to bore wells and provide drinking water to the people in five regions of war-torn Syria.
The potable water supply units were set up in Aleppo, Rif Halab, east of Damascus, Dira, and Rif Hamat. So far, more than 88,000 are benefiting from the initiative.
The project aimed to provide clean water to the residents of these areas and those migrated there from other areas in the country due to the ongoing violence.
These areas are worst-affected by the war and remain without electricity. As a result, water pumps have stopped working.
The water supply network and wells supplying drinking water were destroyed by heavy shelling. The war has also damaged businesses and trading activities, hitting people’s sources of income.
People cannot buy basic needs, including clean drinking water. A large number of displaced people are taking shelter in these areas which are considered relatively safer. Several areas have been battling a severe water crisis since the beginning of the war. So accessing potable water remains a key challenge for most people.
The Bashar Al Assad regime targets basic services and infrastructure facilities, particularly water plants.
Water pumps powered with generators run on diesel stopped working due to a lack of maintenance. Even those working have no fuel to continue. Water tankers were the only option to provide clean water to the people. But they are so expensive that most people cannot afford. So they are forced to drink and use contaminated water. Several cases of stomachache were reported to clinics due to drinking unclean water.
The Peninsula
