Syria – Stations to supply Raqqah with water after the Euphrates dries up

Location: Raqqah – Syria

Language: Arabic

Duration: 00:05:05

Voice: Natural

Source: A24

Restrictions: A24 Clients

Dateline: 06-02-2022

Storyline

The Local Administration and Municipalities Committee in Raqqa is extending a drinking water line towards Al-Karamah town, and the neighboring towns, due to the interruption of drinking water as the level of the Euphrates River is getting low and large parts of it is polluted.

The low level of the Euphrates water led to the disruption of large numbers of water pumps that used to irrigate villages, towns, and agricultural lands in the past.

The local administration committee worked to establish 3 pumping groups at the station, with a capacity of 300 cubic meters per hour, equipped with an electric generator to ensure that water would not be cut off when there is a power outage.

Burdens on people near Raqqa increased with the return of people to their homes, and housing expansion in those areas, in conjunction with the drying up of the Euphrates River, which led to an increase in the need for drinking water.

Shotlist

• (SOUNDBITE) Ahmed Al-Jassem – Extension Works Officer:

“The Civil Council in Raqqa dragged water to Al-Karama town. The project is good and we are good. The village was thirsty, but we are satisfied with this good project. The river is polluted and they started drawing water for us from the canal because this canal has a cleaner, better and healthier water.”

• (SOUNDBITE) Adnan Al Abdullah – Head of Al Karama Water Unit

“In the coming days, we will try to transfer water resources towards irrigation channels, because the river towards Al-Karama town is polluted, so irrigation water would be better to improve drinking water for the citizens and to increase the amount of water pumped to Al-Karama area that suffers water shortage and the new housing expansions.”

• (SOUNDBITE) Hussein Al-Jarjab – Head of the Water Office in the Civil Council in Raqqa:

“We had to establish this station because the level of the Euphrates River is low, and the Balikh water is mixed with the Euphrates River, which affects the purity of drinking water. The drop in the river level also affects the amount of water withdrawn towards the Al-Karama town from the Euphrates. We have established the Al-Karama Summer Water Station and we call it summer since it is on the irrigation canal.”

To Download Material