The city of Al-Hasakah, located at the confluence of the Jaghjagh and Khabur rivers, is facing an unprecedented and ongoing water crisis, with all its attendant environmental, economic, and social repercussions. This crisis has coincided with water scarcity and years of conflict, threatening the most basic aspects of daily life and the prospects for a decent living. Despite hydrogeographic studies indicating that the governorate is rich in natural water resources, including both surface and groundwater, due to its location in the heart of the Tigris and Khabur basin, they also point out that climate change, lack of rainfall, and geopolitical factors (both external and internal), before and after the armed conflict in 2011, have played a significant role in transforming the problem of water scarcity into a real crisis, portending environmental, health, and social disasters.
The crisis in northeastern Syria is primarily attributed to what is known in academic studies and human rights organizations as “water conflict,” particularly concerning freshwater resources. This conflict involves the control of water resources and associated facilities, using them as a strategic tool “Water as a Weapon” to demonstrate power and influence among conflicting parties and states. States vary in their methods of employing this type of violence internally and externally, whether directly or indirectly. Academic studies distinguish between two types of violence in this context: accelerated violence, associated with urban conflicts and the destruction of cities “Urban Warfare and Urbicide and slow violence, which is closely linked to infrastructural violence[4] . Prominent practices include targeting water infrastructure, repeatedly cutting off water supplies from rivers, tributaries, and valleys by upstream states under the pretext of implementing development projects or building temporary dams and discharging untreated wastewater into rivers and their tributaries near borders, among others. These practices converge in the case of northeastern Syria, as this research paper shall illustrate, becoming a daily reality with implications for the future of the region, which has been shaped by conflicts in an unclear manner.
In the context of the ongoing armed conflict and continuous military operations conducted by conflicting parties in northeastern Syria, civilian infrastructure and facilities have been directly targeted alongside military sites. This targeting has included water, energy, and oil facilities essential for the daily lives of local residents. According to reports from multiple human rights and humanitarian organizations, including Human Rights Watch in February 2024[5], these actions have significantly impacted the lives and survival of the population. The situation has been exacerbated by successive waves of internal displacement. According to the same report, the population of Al-Hasakah governorate swelled from less than half a million to nearly two million by the end of 2019. Displaced individuals currently reside in various temporary accommodations, including homes, schools, and damaged buildings in urban and rural areas, as well as informal camps. This surge has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for water resources. Consequently, the frequent shutdowns of the Allouk station since 2019, which is the main water source for most residents and displaced people in Al-Hasakah city, its suburbs, and surrounding camps, were the breaking point, causing an unbearable deficit. These water challenges have affected all aspects of life, causing widespread negative impacts on both local residents and displaced individuals. This includes partial paralysis of water-related economic activities, especially in the agricultural and livestock sectors, which are the main sources of income for the region’s population. Additionally, it has led to the depletion and pollution of natural resources and the deterioration of conflict-ridden fragile infrastructure and built environments.
In this context of diverse and concurrent challenges, emergency solutions and alternative systems have emerged, aiming to cover the minimum water deficit and secure the basic daily water needs. These solutions primarily focus on transporting water via tankers (both public and private) from various and newly developed sources, such as wells and local and neighboring springs, which are relatively distant from direct conflict zones. They also include establishing projects to draw water from diverse sources, whether from rivers (with the Euphrates water diversion project being one of the most recent) or from stations relying on drilling local wells. However, unplanned drilling and excessive, unregulated exploitation of wells have led to a severe decrease in the level and quality of groundwater, an increase in salt concentration, and the drying up and filling of some wells. Moreover, most of the water transported from wells and springs, which are contaminated by untreated wastewater, lacks safety and quality standards, reaching the area’s residents and causing severe health effects and the spread of various diseases and epidemics. These solutions fail to meet the minimum water needs and severely lack extensive and in-depth hydrogeological studies, integrated urban planning that includes infrastructure, economic feasibility studies and risk assessment, and sustainable thinking that goes beyond emergency solutions. Consequently, the factors causing the water crisis to intersect with the limited scope of emergency solutions, portending humanitarian and environmental disasters that are indifferent to political borders.
In light of current developments and the need to adopt a sustainable approach, this paper aims to analyze the dimensions of the water scarcity problem and urgent solutions in the city of Al-Hasakah. The research paper is based on the perspectives of representatives from various segments of civil and local society, as well as representatives from relevant administrations. It also relies on comparing these views with diverse media and academic reports and sources. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the multiple and interconnected effects of the water crisis, focusing on its natural, geopolitical, environmental, health, urban, technical, structural, economic, and social implications, as well as other relevant aspects. The paper builds on the results of this analysis to present a set of recommendations and proposed solutions to address the water crisis in Al-Hasakah city. These recommendations aim to improve water resource management and enhance long-term sustainability, taking into account local conditions and current challenges. It also highlights the importance of cooperation between various stakeholders to achieve tangible and effective results in addressing this vital crisis.
