PHOTO: The damaged pumping facility for water from Wadi Barada, northwest of Damascus


Millions of people in Syria’s capital Damascus are enduring water shortages because of damage, caused by pro-Assad airstrikes, on the main supply from the Wadi Barada area.

See Syria Daily, Jan 9: Pro-Assad Forces Renew Attacks Near Damascus

In an interview with Syria Direct, Dr. Mohammad, working at a Damascus hospital, describes the ensuing sickness among children.

And a resident says, “A ton of people these days [are] going to the parks to wash their clothes and to bathe.”


The Doctor

Q: What impact is the water cutoff in Damascus having on the spread of illnesses?

There isn’t enough water in people’s homes, and people can’t buy it because water is very expensive now. As a result, people aren’t washing things like fruits and vegetables properly.

Even restaurants have stopped cleaning their cooking supplies and utensils properly, which has led to a spread of food poisoning among their customers.

Q: Last week, the UN released a statement on the lack of high-quality water provided by private water companies, and the threat of disease, especially among children. Can you tell us more about some of the children you have treated in the hospital this past week? What symptoms are you seeing?

I’m seeing cases of children of all ages suffering from severe diarrhea as well as fever. Many of their families are afraid that their children are sick from the contaminated water.

There are a number of patients who remain under observation until their situation improves. One of them is an 8-year-old boy who has been in the hospital for four days. His family brought him here, and he received treatment after showing all the signs of water poisoning. His condition worsened when his blood pressure dropped, so he spent two days under observation until he stabilized.

Q: Is the hospital prepared to treat cases of water-borne illnesses? How is the hospital operating now, with the lack of water?

The medical staff at all the hospitals in Damascus are prepared for any case of water poisoning or other illness, and are ready to provide medical services to the sick.

The hospitals are getting water from the government’s reserves via sterilized water tankers.

Q: What advice are you giving to residents to avoid water-borne illnesses?

We are advising residents to take care to clean the food they are giving to children, and to wash fruits and vegetables well before giving them to members of their families.

We are also advising against eating food from restaurants because most cases of food poisoning in children come from parents who resort to feeding their kids at restaurants due to a lack of water in their own homes. This prevents them from cooking at home.

The Resident

Q: How have you been getting by since last month’s major water cutoff to Damascus? How have you had to adjust your daily routine?

The initial shock was quite difficult, but we were comparatively fortunate because thankfully there are cisterns nearby that pump water to our house for washing and bathing. However, when it comes to clean drinking water, we’ve got to buy boxes of bottled water, which go for around SP700 (approx. $3.27).

Again, I say comparatively fortunate because those who are far away from wells and cisterns like me are forced to rely on water tankers. Each tanker can carry up to 25 barrels of water, which runs for SP5,000 (approx. $23.39) per barrel. That means that a whole tanker goes for SP125,000 (approx. $584.71). People inside the heart of Damascus and many in the surrounding neighborhoods are forced to rely on water tankers because you aren’t going to be finding any water otherwise.

There are a ton of people these days going to the parks to wash their clothes and to bathe. Similarly, people have started to have just falafel for breakfast and lunch because you can’t run a proper kitchen if you don’t have clean water.