OCHA Syria: Flash Update #01 - Disruption to Alouk Water Station, 28 April 2021

OCHA

SYRIA

FLASH UPDATE #01

Disruption to Alouk Water Station

As of 28 April 2021

HIGHLIGHTS

●

On 12 April, the Alouk water

station

Al-Hasakeh

in

Governorate stopped functioning,

reportedly due to a fire at the

Derbasiyah electricity substation

which serves as the main source

of electricity for Alouk.

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While the situation remains fluid

and efforts are ongoing to restore

supply, at the time of writing,

access to water has been

disrupted for over two weeks

affecting up to one million people,

including directly impacting water supply to approximately 460,000 people in Al-Hasakeh and Tal Tamer cities, in

addition to over 70,000 people in Al Hol and other camps and settlements in the area.

The current disruption at Alouk is the 23rd incident OCHA has recorded since November 2019.

On 13 April, General Electricity Company of Al-Hasakeh technical teams commenced repairs at Derbasiyah electricity

substation. The power station resumed operations albeit at a lower capacity which, in addition to illegal power

connections on the Derbasiyah line, did not provide adequate power for the water station.

On 18 April, General Electricity Company technicians were reportedly unable to access the power station.

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• Later, on 24 April, following repairs on the electrical grid, Alouk water station started operating at a lower capacity,

restoring supply to Tel Tamer sub-district, however, as of 27 April pumping remains insufficient to reach the majority of

the population the station ordinarily serves, including Al-Hasakeh city.

WASH partners have activated emergency water trucking deliveries of approximately 3,231m3/day. This is however

insufficient to cover needs; at full production capacity, Alouk water station supplies approximately 4,000m3/hour.

Humanitarian partners continue to advocate for qualified technical teams, including those from the Department of Water

Resources, to have regular, unhindered and safe access to Alouk water station and Derbasiyah electricity substation

for necessary repairs and maintenance to enable civilians to have sufficient and reliable access to clean, safe water.

Work is also ongoing to identify alternative, sustainable solutions to address Al-Hasakeh's chronic water shortages.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Alouk water station is a critical source of water in north-east Syria. While this latest disruption is the second recorded by

OCHA in 2021, it is the 23rd recorded time the station has had operations suspended since November 2019. These

disruptions have ranged from a few days to over a few weeks; directly or indirectly affecting approximately one million

civilians in Al-Hasakeh Governorate, including over 70,000 people living in camps and informal settlements, including Al

Hol, Areesha, Al-Tala'e' and Tweina. It is estimated that these disruptions cumulatively amount to over 100 days where

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