On March 21, 2020, the Turkish forces, in control of the Alok Water Station, have once again interrupted water supplies, usually provided to about 600,000 persons who live in areas in Northeastern Syria\u2014the most recent cut in a series, since the last had happened on February 24, 2020.<\/p>\n
The water station, located in the eastern countryside of the city of Ras al-Ayn\/Sari Kani, is the major source used by the residents of the following areas, al-Hasakah, Tal Tmer, al-Hawl and al-Arishah camps, among others. The repeated interruption of potable water service is coercing the residents to rely on unsafe water resources, which in turn puts their lives on the line despite the local efforts at combating the novel coronavirus\u2014 Covid-19.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time that residents of these areas are deprived of access to the Alok Station\u2019s water, for the shelling, conducted by the Turkish forces and which corresponded to the military operations in October 2020, has rendered the station out of service, as the water stopped being pumped after the station\u2019s building and the cables providing it with power were a target of several mortars.<\/p>\n
The Alok Water Station, where water is stored and pumped, contains 30 wells, with a capacity to provide about 175,000 square meters of water a day. Denying hundreds of thousands of people access to water is denying them a basic source of protection against Covid-19, given that handwashing is a fundamental means in shielding oneself of the virus.<\/p>\n
Through this statement, the signatory organizations condemn the repeated and intentional interruption of the Alok Station\u2019s water services ordained by the Turkish Government and stress that this intentional denial of water that the residents of these areas are suffering is a blatant violation of the International Humanitarian Law and is a war crime. This deprivation is also a breach of the right of Northeastern Syria\u2019s population to safe and potable water. The signatories, thus, call on the United Nations\/UN, the World Health Organization\/WHO, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund\/UNICEF, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs\/UNOCHA, as well as the U.S. Government and the European Union to:<\/p>\n
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On March 21, 2020, the Turkish forces, in control of the Alok Water Station, have once again interrupted water supplies, usually provided to about 600,000 persons who live in areas…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[584,460,475,181],"class_list":["post-9229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-deprivation-of-water-resources","tag-joint-statements-and-letters","tag-northeast-syria-nes","tag-Turkey","post_format-post-format-link"],"yoast_head":"\n