Syria: Suweida locals reeling under worsening water shortage as authorities fail to find solution

Locals in the southern Syrian province of Suweida say they are grappling with severe water shortages with authorities making no attempts to remedy the situation.

Visits by residents to the provincial governor and pressure on the company in charge of drinking water and sanitation have yielded no results, according to reports.

Initiatives sponsored by international organisations have recently taken place in an attempt to support relief work and to address Suweida’s water crisis but with no long-term fix.

"The wells that were repaired in some villages, such as the Tima 2 well and the Duma well (both to the northeast of Daraa), which feed four villages, did not continue to work for more than ten days after the pumps were installed," activist Ali Al-Hussein told The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Al-Hussein, who suspects foul play, said: "[The Al-Tima 2 well] suddenly broke down before it could irrigate the village, which has been suffering from thirst for more than a month and a half,"

"Why aren’t realistic, original solutions developed to address the current situation, instead of just fixing the faults in a way that only enriches those carrying out the repairs?" he asked.

A source at the General Corporation for Drinking Water and Sanitation told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "most of the work is carried out through the assistance of international organisations, as the corporation’s financial deficit has exceeded 16 billion Syrian pounds (about $1,230,000)".

Corruption has allegedly hindered efforts to fix the problem, adding that the oversight and inspection department has for years slept on corruption cases linked to directors, senior employees in Damascus, contractors, and owners of repair shops.

Sheikh Marwan Al-Moaz - one of the activists involved in demonstrations in Suweida that have continued since summer - told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that young men in the protest movement were able to secure water for residents of the village of Al-Qrayya, south of Suweida city, by fixing pumps.

Non-operating wells in the village "made residents buy water at prices beyond their means", said Al-Moaz.

Strike cancelled, protests ongoing

Separately on Sunday, the city of Suweida saw a partial strike over poor living conditions, but this was later called off.

The organisers of the protest said in a statement they cancelled it "out of concern for civil peace and to prevent the regime from dragging [Suweida] province into violence".

However, they added that peaceful protests would continue in Al-Karama Square, in the city of Suweida, and all major civic centres across the province.

السويداء: تعليق الإضراب العام.. والاستمرار بالتظاهرات
أعلن منظمو الإضراب الذي شهدته السويداء اليوم الأحد عن تعليقه، حرصاً على السلم الأهلي، ولتفويت الفرصة على "النظام الدموي" بجر المحافظة إلى العنف، مؤكدين في نفس الوقت على استمرار التظاهرات السلمية في ساحة الكرامة، وكافة ساحات… pic.twitter.com/Ruadl4fuF6

— السويداء 24 (@suwayda24) November 5, 2023

The anti-government protests - which started in August and have been peacefully ongoing - initially began over socioeconomic conditions in southern Syria but have grown into calls for complete regime change.

Protesters burned tires on Sunday as public institutions briefly shut down in the city, most notably the ruling Baath Party’s Suweida branch. Private businesses and schools also closed for a few hours.

Activists expressed their support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and a political settlement in war-torn Syria.

More than half a million people have died in the Syrian conflict since 2011 and millions more have been displaced, with massive economic and structural ruin.

Suweida’s residents come under grueling pressure and sometimes attacks from regime forces and its allies to stop their demonstrations, some of which have seen pictures of President Bashar al-Assad and his later father, Hafez, torn down, and statues defaced.