Will the water and electricity crisis in Qamishlo and Amuda find solutions soon.

The suffering of the people in the city of Qamishlo / Al-Qamishli (North-East Syria) is exacerbated in light of the electricity and water crisis in light of the deteriorating economic situation, which is constantly deteriorating. Facing the economic situation, low income, and the frequent rise in prices was not only the reason for the suffering of the people of the city, but it has become an electricity crisis. Homes and drinking water are a source of concern for many residents.

The bombing of the Turkish marches, which targets the region, and no longer excludes vital installations, oil wells and fuel production stations, has led to the almost complete loss of main electricity from the region, which is basically limited in terms of operating hours and many malfunctions.

This situation made amperage electricity (subscription) an urgent necessity to confront the summer heat and the need for electricity in the winter, with the inability to obtain abundant amounts of fuel.

However, the difficult economic circumstances of most people do not enable them to participate sufficiently, and they participate for a few hours that do not meet their complete daily needs. The majority subscribe to the eight-hour system, which is few and insufficient.

There is a different system of hours in using amps of electricity (8 hours, 16 hours, 24 hours) and the material differences in the subscription double. The higher the subscription rate, the greater the financial value of the monthly subscription.

Also, relying on amps is a subscription system in which large generators give amps to the neighborhoods, and these generators Basically, it is not a sustainable solution because it is harmful to the environment and climate and results in emissions that harm society and cause diseases, according to health workers.

In the summer, power outages cause cases of sunburn and poisoning in children, and some people are sometimes forced to drink hot water.

Some popular homes in the outskirts remain without an amperage subscription due to the deteriorating economic situation for them. Most of them are day laborers, and their wages do not allow them to participate, and they remain vulnerable to heat waves, sunburn, and cases of child poisoning.

This summer, the city witnessed cases of child poisoning caused by the extreme heat. Many blacksmith workers and workers in professions that require continuous electricity left their jobs due to the loss of public electricity and the high cost of subscribing to amperes, which exacerbated the living, health and economic problem for most of the people.

With regard to water, the decline in water pumping and the decline in its quality have had a negative and direct impact on the lives of the city’s residents. The pumping hours are short and do not allow water to reach everyone. The frequent breakdowns and weak infrastructure have exacerbated the problem, as some neighborhoods do not receive water well in the summer, in addition to the failure to use rational plans in water use contributes to significant waste.

In addition to this, there are negative health outcomes resulting from excessive rationing of household water and the tendency to purchase water from mobile tankers, often of unknown origin, which are not subject to drinking water quality standards, which threatens the development of skin and kidney diseases, especially among the elderly and children.

Introduction
The problem of the aggravation of electricity and water is a general problem in Syria as a whole, especially in North-East Syria. Accordingly, we took two regions in the Syrian province of Al-Hasakah / Al-Jazira, namely Qamishlo / Al-Qamishli and the city of Amuda, as two models whose situation can be generalized to other regions.

The cities of Qamishlo and Amuda in North-East Syria are suffering from worsening crises in the water and electricity sectors, to the point that daily power outages and lack of water, especially in the summer, have become a bitter reality for the people.

In light of the continued absence of electricity for long hours on a daily basis, the suffering of the people increases and this directly affects their daily lives.

In contrast to the suffering of electricity, the problem of water shortage is exacerbated, and it is no less dangerous, as this problem threatens public health and forces families to search for alternative solutions, which may be expensive or ineffective. These problems come in light of harsh security and economic conditions and fragile infrastructure, which raises questions about the ability of local and international institutions to find effective and sustainable solutions to these challenges.

In this research paper, we attempt to review the most important reasons behind the water and electricity crises, and shed light on the initiatives proposed to mitigate their effects, while exploring future options to find permanent solutions, by choosing the cities of Qamishlo and Amuda as two samples, as the two regions are witnessing ongoing water and electricity crises

The water crisis in Qamishlo…places and causes
The water crisis in Qamishlo is considered one of the most urgent problems facing the people of the city, and according to field monitoring, this crisis is concentrated in most of the city’s neighborhoods, especially in Al-Hilaliyah, Al-Siyahi, Corniche, and Al-Khaleej neighborhoods. The people of these neighborhoods suffer from water outages for long periods, which may extend for several days sometimes, which forces the people to resort to buying water from mobile tanks at high costs, which causes additional living and economic burdens on the people.

Suleiman Othman from Al-Hilaliya neighborhood said in an interview with ASO News Network, “Our problem with the lack of water flow to the neighborhood has become the talk of the city and social networking sites. In contrast, the sight of tanks selling water constantly in the neighborhood has become a normal thing”.

He added: “We suffer from a lack of water flow and we go days without water, as the few hours of pumping, the weak infrastructure of the network, and the nature of the geography of the area prevent water from reaching the neighborhood as required”.

Suleiman Othman from the city of Qamishlo points out that they have submitted many complaints and requests for assistance, “but we have not seen satisfactory solutions until this moment. The wear and tear of the network and its weakness make it need to be repaired every now and then, and at this time the network is out of service until the repair is completed, while residents suffer from lack of service for water availability”.

Abu Wissam, a resident of Qamishlo who lives in Al-Khaleej neighborhood, also suffers from a lack of water flow. Abu Wissam lives in a house on the fourth floor, and this makes it difficult for water to reach his house even with a pump.

Speaking to ASO News Network, Suleiman Othman said: “We buy water from tanks for a large sum, and it is water from an unreliable source and is not subject to water quality testing”.

Qamishlo water, which is fed from several sources and stations that is not clear of impurities and sediments, contains a high percentage of calcification, according to water experts, which may increase the rates of kidney and skin diseases, which requires people to use filters before using it for drinking.

According to Wasel Asaad, the former official of the Water Department in the city of Qamishlo, the hardness of the water in the city is high, and may reach 350 degrees, while its normal limit is 100 degrees, after using filters for purification.

Asaad added that the high rate of calcification is not new, and the reason for this is due to the city’s reliance on multiple water sources, so chlorine is added for sterilization.

The city of Qamishlo is fed from three water sources, the most prominent of which is Al-Hilaliya station near the village of Nafkur, west of Qamishlo, the Awija station near the industrial zone of the city, and the Jaqjaq station on the northern belt of the city, in addition to the Safan Badirik station, whose water comes to Awija station and from there water is pumped to the neighborhoods.

The water official pointed out the necessity of using filters to purify the water from impurities and calcification, while filtering the city’s water sources requires a large budget, which exceeds the capabilities of the “Autonomous Administration,” he said.

Dr. Musa Dawoud, a specialist in pediatric diseases in the city of Qamishlo, tells ASO News Network that drinking water with a high percentage of calcification leads to an increase in the percentage of calcium in the blood, indicating that high levels of calcium in the blood for years may cause the appearance of stones in the kidney. and skin diseases over time.

To prevent this, some residents of the city of Qamishlo are keen on their children’s health by boiling and cooling water before drinking, after pediatricians recommended that they should drink mineral or boiled water. Residents of the city also use filters to purify water inside the home.

Long wait and polluted water
Mohammad Khair, nicknamed Abu Yazan (60 years old), spends long nights during the summer, waiting for water to be pumped to the main line, hoping that the water that has been cut off for about 15 days will reach the main line tap in his house located in Al-Siyahi neighborhood in the center of Qamishlo city.

Speaking to ASO News Network, he said that he was surprised once when, after a long wait, he saw the “gurgling” of black, foul-smelling muddy water, like that emanating from sewage drains.

In the morning, he and his other neighbor, Maher Antarat (42 years old), took a sample of it in a bottle to the water department in Qamishli, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration, and the informant told them that a sewage drain had leaked into the water network, perhaps due to a break in one of the water network lines, he said.

Inaction amid recurring problem
Maher Antarat, a resident of Qamishlo, told ASO News Network that, despite the seriousness of the problem and its recurrence, the committees responsible for maintaining the water networks in the city of Qamishlo in North-East Syria have not inspected the lines since the summer of last year (2023), despite the recurrence of the problem in the lines. Water reaching his home and his neighbor, Mohammad Khair.

Antrat points out that water problems still exist, considering them “negligence and inaction” on the part of the institutions concerned with the Autonomous Administration regarding the health of the people in “a neighborhood that lacks the most important necessities of life” in the summer, as he described it.

It sometimes happens that water is cut off from some neighborhoods in Qamishlo for several days, or the pumping period does not coincide with the hours of electricity connection, which prevents the filling of household tanks, which in this case prompts some residents to buy water from tanks, the source of which is unknown.

The Water Department in the city of Qamishlo, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration, attributes the reason for cutting off water in many neighborhoods to the old infrastructure in the city and the failure to replace water lines, which have been considered damaged for a long time.

The Water Department of Al-Jazira District calls on the people at different periods to rationalize the use of water, with the rise in temperatures in the summer, considering that rationalization helps in securing water for all neighborhoods, but it seems that appeals alone do not constitute any change that requires clear plans and strategies. It contributes to saving water through rationalization.

According to the people, the response by the concerned authorities (meaning the local institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration) to the crisis is weak, and that the hours of pumping drinking water are few, and not enough to fill the home tank, which forces them to request water from mobile tanks, the prices of which have increased from 30 thousand Syrian pounds per tank (1000 litres) to more than 50 thousand Syrian pounds.

Other causes of the problem
Officials in the Studies Office of the Water Department in the city of Qamishlo, whom ASO News Network met to monitor the reasons behind the problem, indicate that the reason for the problem in Al-Hilaliyah neighborhood, where water is cut off the most despite the presence of a water station there, is the nature of the geography of the area and the weakness and age of the network’s infrastructure.

The Office of Studies believes that the water problem in the city lies in the increase in population density, the increase in demand for water, especially during the summer, the weakness and age of the infrastructure, the lack of the necessary equipment such as generators and others, in addition to the lack of rationalization of water consumption by the people.

With the expansion of the crisis in Syria since 2011, various cities witnessed population growth, and the city of Qamishlo is one of the cities that absorbed displaced people and immigrants which led to population expansion and inflation in the city. On the other hand, there is no role for the Syrian government in the region, and the region is run by the Democratic Autonomous Administration, in an area It is not open to the borders of neighboring countries, which prevents the ability and programs to support infrastructure.

According to Water Department officials, there is no complete water outage, and the flow hours are fixed except in the case of difficult and uncontrollable malfunctions, as they put it.

Challenges and obstacles
The Office of Studies stated that the challenges lie in the lack of sustainable energy sources to feed the wells with electricity, as well as the difficulty of repairing pipes of large diameters, due to the lack of accessories necessary for repair, as they are not available in the markets and are manufactured and detailed upon request.

According to Autonomous Administration officials, the Turkish attacks greatly affected water flow hours by targeting power stations, which led to unstable operating and flow hours.

The attack had the same impact on infrastructure repair efforts, by repeatedly targeting repair crews.

Regarding the impact of the economic situation on water in the city, the official of the Studies Office says that they are facing difficulty in sorting out the financial blocks for maintenance, especially with the increasing Turkish attacks on the electricity and water infrastructure, and there are no modern and advanced technologies to increase efficiency.

Regarding the pumping hours, the office said: There are three stations to feed the city with water, which are Al-Awija station (feeds the eastern part of the city), Jaqjaq station (feeds the city center), and Al-Hilaliya station (feeds the western part of the city, in addition to water extracted ffromAl-Safan Dam, which is complementary to the stations, and the pumping hours are divided. It has two parts: eastern and western.

Regarding solutions and proposals to improve the water situation and support the efficiency of the network, the Studies Office in the Water Directorate believes that the number of wells in the city should be increased, the old wells should be rehabilitated, and the wells that have stopped working should be rehabilitated, in addition to increasing the number of generators that feed the network, increasing its efficiency and rationalizing water consumption through awareness campaigns for the people, as well as searching for new water sources.

The water problem in the city of Qamishlo / Al-Qamishli remains a deep-rooted problem that awaits solutions from the concerned authorities and international organizations working in the region to end the people’s suffering from water in addition to electricity, which is necessary to solve the water problem.

We were not able to obtain any comment from the Autonomous Administration on this file, as we asked both the economic and energy authorities in North-East Syria about the reality of infrastructure, and how to deal with crises.

The infrastructure of the water and electricity network in the city of Qamishlo/Al-Qamishli and Amuda was not subject to restoration or renewal despite its age, and the matter was limited to repairing faults and treating what was necessary only.

The problem of lack of water pumping in Amuda
Some neighborhoods in the city of Amuda continue to suffer from a lack of drinking water pumping, especially in the Tala’i Garden neighborhood, currently known as “Inanna Garden,” where the neighborhood’s residents have been suffering for several months from a severe weakness in water pumping.

Sozdar Bakzo, a resident of the neighborhood, told ASO News Network that they have been facing the problem of low water pumping for more than half a year, explaining that water only reaches them in the late hours of the night, specifically at two in the morning, but with very weak pumping power, which forces them to use Pneumatic pumps to fill their tanks.

Marwa Ibrahim, also a resident of the aforementioned neighborhood, indicated in her interview with ASO Network that water does not reach them until after midnight, which makes them unable to fill the tanks due to the power outage at this time.

Marwa and many residents of the neighborhood, through the ASO News Network, called on the concerned authorities to find radical solutions to this problem.

Ibrahim Hassan, official of the Water Department in Amuda, explained that the weakness of water pumping in the Inana Garden neighborhood is due to the region’s distance from water collection points, indicating that water pumping in the rest of Amuda’s neighborhoods is done well. He also added that they are working to improve the situation by using two wells to pump water better.

Regarding the hours of water pumping in the city, Hassan explained that water is pumped in the southern neighborhoods from one in the afternoon until four in the evening, and in the northern neighborhoods from seven in the evening until midnight, which is the period when generators operate, which gives residents the opportunity to store water.

In general, water pumping in the city of Amuda is considered good, as pumping hours exceed 15 hours and it reaches all homes, especially residential buildings. However, there is weakness in pumping in some parts of the western section in the Inana Park neighborhood, due to their distance from drinking water collection points.

Electricity problem in Qamishlo
The city of Qamishlo, like the rest of the cities in North-East Syria, is experiencing a major electricity crisis. “The Public” electricity to the city has been completely cut off since the beginning of this year due to Turkish attacks on power plants in North-East Syria. People now rely on private generators, but this solution is an expensive alternative, as subscription prices are increasing monthly amid the deteriorating economic situation.

Abu Mohammad, a resident of Al-Tay neighborhood in Qamishlo/Al-Qamishli, explains to ASO News Network that, despite their subscription to ten electric amps, they are forced to turn off one of the air conditioners in the hot summer. In addition, generators face frequent malfunctions, especially in the summer, which increases the suffering of the people. To overcome this problem, Abu Mohammad was forced to install solar panels at an exorbitant cost of $1,400 (approximately 21 million Syrian pounds), despite his weak financial ability.

Comparing the prices of amperes between this year and last year, the price of an ampere for generators operating according to an 8-hour daily operating system last year was 24 thousand Syrian pounds, while this year it is 60 thousand Syrian pounds.

As for the prices of amperes according to the 24-hour operating system, the price of one ampere was $6-8, and this year it is $10 (about 150 thousand Syrian pounds) and more.

According to what is common among generator owners, using a 24-hour line is considered a luxury, and when subscribing to the generators, a one-time payment of $50 is taken in exchange for each amp. That is, if a family, home, or shop uses 5 amps, you need to pay $250. One-time US subscription for amps, in addition to the price of the subscribed amps each month.

Umm Sidra, from Al-Corniche neighborhood, in Qamishlo, points out that the cost of electricity has become burdensome for her, as she pays the equivalent of half her salary to subscribe to four amps over a 24-hour period, and she finds it difficult to meet the rest of her basic needs, according to what she told ASO News Network.

For his part, Abu Mohammad from the Al-Neql Al-Bari neighborhood says that they cannot subscribe to more than four amps for eight hours a day at a cost of up to 60,000 Syrian pounds, stressing that this amount is not sufficient for their needs, and there are no alternatives available to them in the neighborhood.

Generator malfunctions and alternative solutions
Chronic generator malfunctions are considered one of the biggest challenges facing the people of Qamishlo/Al-Qamishli and Amuda, as the frequency of malfunctions occurs greatly during the summer, which further complicates the situation, especially with the high temperatures and the people’s complete dependence on these generators to secure electricity.

Of course, if the generator stops for days and weeks, if it happens, the families are not financially respected, and the payment continues to be paid even if the families are without electricity and the generator is broken.

Ahmed Houban from Markaz Al-A’llaf neighborhood in Amuda told ASO News Network that he had not seen electricity from the neighborhood’s generator for about a month, noting that the generator had been out of service for three months, and this conversation occurred during the period of preparing the research paper.

Many Amuda residents complain about frequent generator malfunctions and delays in maintenance, as some generators stop working for more than a week or two, non-compensation of operating hours, and sometimes reducing or not adhering to operating hours, which reach 8 hours a day.

Recently, a new problem has emerged: electronic circuit breakers that disconnect frequently in some neighborhoods, which some consider worse than regular circuit breakers.

Finding the electronic circuit breakers was a case of assistance to the families, as when the circuit breaker was disconnected, it returned to work electronically, while previously, when the circuit breaker was disconnected, the population had to reach the location of the manual circuit breaker in the neighborhood to restore electricity. Although the mechanism of the electronic circuit breaker came to serve the population, it suffers from the problems of frequent disconnection.

Also, some neighborhoods receive weak power from generators, which causes major electrical appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners to not operate, especially during the summer.

The installation of solar power panels is considered effective alternative solutions, while the problem of breakdowns remains frequent due to the great pressure on the generators, as the number of subscribers sometimes reaches more than 400 subscribers for each generator.

It is possible to install four panels for people with average income, the price of the plate ranges between 105 to 110 dollars for the first elites, while the price of the second elites of the panels ranges between 70 to 85 dollars, and the price of the Inverter ranges 4 kW open between 250 and 300 dollars and the price of some species reaches 325 dollars . As for the excellent quality batteries, the price ranges between 200 and 300 dollars, and in general the cost of installing the solar energy group of $ 1300 with 4 panels and nourishes the house with 8 amperes, according to some owners of solar energy stores.

But by searching and reaching homes, offices, and shops that have placed energy panels, there is a great suffering in the winter that the number of amperes does not serve the people during the winter season.

Some also resort to installing the panels without new batteries that depend only on the sun to operate only in the morning, especially during the summer and the need for the people to electricity.

The purchase of energy panels carries material burdens, while selling in installments is a rare matter, and the basic conditions are that the seller is personal knowledge of the buyer and the payment is in the form of one payment and may be only two payments.

Mohammed Wali, the administrator of the generators’ committee of the Municipality affiliates the city that the number of generators in the city is 42 generators, while the number in the countryside reaches 22 generators, and he adds that the hours of operation of generators are eight hours a day, divided between the day and night, with the allocation of 13 thousand liters of diesel for each generator per month, and “Wali” confirms to ASO News, that the committee is constantly monitoring the state of generators, and the quantities of diesel are deducted if any generator is disabled for several Days.

It also shows that the committee directs the biology councils “comments” to deduct the monthly participation of the population according to the disruption days, where 2200 Syrian pounds are deducted for each day that is disrupted.

In the event that the period of a malfunction of the generator exceeds eight days, a fine will be imposed on its owner with the value of two million Syrian pounds, and if the failure continues for a longer period, ads are published on the municipal page to search for a new investor to put an alternative generator and remove the old.

Sa’adia Mohammad, from the people of Amuda, tells ASO network, that electricity constitutes an important matter in their daily lives, they need cooling means during the summer, which is distinguished by its high temperature in the region, and also during the winter because of the need to operate water heaters and household electric heaters and this needs to provide electricity for the main network Because it does not work on generators.

Sa’adia considers that running generators for about 8 hours a day is a good thing, but this is not compared to the main electricity as not all electrical tools, such as washing machines and heaters, can be operated on generators, she said.

As Yunis Ali, a tailor from Amuda, says to ASO News, that electricity is necessary for his work in sewing, and that all his work tools require continuous electricity.

It indicates that the number of hours of electricity for private generators is acceptable, but they are not according to the hope, as generators are sometimes disabled, their effects are harmful to them, given the stopping of their work.

conclusion
The water and electricity crisis in the cities of Qamishlo and Amuda reflects part of the challenges facing the people of North-East Syria, which are exacerbated by geographical conditions, economic conditions, and ongoing military attacks. Despite the efforts made by some local authorities to improve the situation, the current solutions are still not sufficient to meet the needs of the people. The urgent and sustainable response from the concerned authorities, by enhancing infrastructure, providing new water sources, and improving the efficiency of pumping and electricity stations is the key to alleviating the suffering of the people and securing the stability of their daily lives.

Urgent reforms in infrastructure are insufficient to meet the needs of the region, which suffers from political conditions that hinder the import of basic materials. There are no border gates that connect them to neighboring countries, similar to those in the areas controlled by the Syrian government and the opposition. Also, the Tel Kocher / Al -Yarubiya crossing, overlooking the region, is closed due to political pressures, while raw materials are prohibited from crossing through the Simalka / Bishkhabor Human crossing due to the absence of an international decision that allows the use of border ports for the North-East Syria to import and export. The problem of water and electricity in the city of Qamishlo is still a problem that takes root day after day, and most of the people and their concern became how to secure home electricity and prepare for water crises, especially in the summer time.

The impact of this on the absence of some professions that need electricity, which caused an increase in unemployment and economic burden, and the corruption of food and air heat during the summer causes many diseases, especially in children. The region is a priority talk for the local population.

The region suffers amid the concerned authorities and civil society organizations to work on possible solutions, follow up on the problem and solve it from its roots, and the solutions remain possible, but they need to work, follow up and support.

Bringing highly capable generators with backup, digging new wells and supporting infrastructure may end the city’s water problem.

Monitoring generators, taking strict measures against violators, installing solar energy panels, reducing their prices and supporting, may be one of the good solutions available to the problem of electricity in the city.