The Governorate of al-Hasakeh, currently one of the cantons that make up the de-facto Autonomous Administration of North East Syria, is one of the most important agricultural lands in the country. It used to be the main source of wheat and a crucial asset for the Assad government given its production of agricultural exports. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the country with Assyrian, Syriac, Kurdish, Arab and Turkmani communities historically living within its boundaries. Now it is drying out under the sun of Turkey’s occupation.

The Khabur River runs down more than 200km from the city of Ras al-Ayn to the city of al-Busayrah in the mid-East governorate of Deir Ez-Zor, where it joins the Euphrates. On its way down, it irrigates the extensive Khabur valley which contains 16,000km2 of farmland and provides water to hundreds of towns and villages on the basin of the river. Cities on the valley, like the ancient Syriac Assyrian town of Tel Tamer and the city of al-Hasakeh depend on the river for potable water, agriculture and the production of sustainable energy. Further south, closer to the Euphrates, communities also depend on the river for fishing. Hence, the Khabur River is a crucial resource that sustains the livelihoods of millions in its hinterland.

The effects of the civil war on the region

The Hasakeh area of the Khabur Valley has seen considerable devastation to its communities since the start of the war. In 2015, the town of Tel Tamer was occupied by Daesh forces who kidnapped up to 350 Assyrian Syriac families and caused the displacement of hundreds more. In 2018, Turkish-backed forces occupied the city of Ras al-Ayn leaving thousands displaced and now living in IDP camps in the city of al-Hasakeh. This was part of a campaign that started in 2016 with the occupation of Afrin, which is led by Turkish-backed forces which include the Free Syrian Army (now known as the Syrian National Army). Since the occupation of Afrin, Turkey and its allies on the ground have faced allegations of multiple war crimes including ethnic cleansing in the area. The issue of water access illustrates the impact of the Turkish occupation of Syria beyond the cities it holds under direct control.

The Alouk water Station, located in occupied Ras al-Ayn, is the only source of water for all those living downstream. Since October 2019, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army that controls Ras al-Ayn has disrupted the water flow from the Alouk Station to Tel-Tamer and al-Hasakeh more than 20 times. This has left close to a million people without access to clean water – between those receiving direct supply and those living in IDP camps where water is supplied by road. Furthermore, Turkey controls the water dams also located in Ras al-Ayn and has built new ones in Tel As-Safir since 2021 damming more than 50% of the water flow from Turkey to al-Hasakeh city. The artificial blocking of water flow adds to the already diminished water flow caused by severe draughts in the past years, the summer of 2021 being one of the driest in the region’s history.

Beyond agriculture

The consequences of Turkey’s weaponization of water go beyond affecting the agricultural livelihood of those living along the Khabur valley. In 2022 a cholera outbreak hit the region, making clear the devastating public health consequences that Turkey’s policies are having on the people of al-Hasakeh. The large-scale destruction to water and sanitation infrastructure, added to the challenges in power supply and the widespread economic crisis, left many having to rely on unreliable and often unsafe sources of water. This is true of the entire country with an outbreak of cholera that affected six governorates. In Hasakeh the situation was aggravated due to the large population of IDPs living in refugee camps with no water infrastructure. Water is delivered to these camps by water trucking, considerably limiting an already precarious water supply.

In addition, the decreased water flow has meant that hydropower is no longer able to supply electricity to the area, forcing people to rely on diesel generators, with the added difficulty of skyrocketing oil prices due to high inflation and the added effect of international sanctions on Syria. Additionally, the increased use of fuel generators in a region that mostly used to depend on hydropower is causing increased pollution and respiratory illnesses. The obstruction of water flow is therefore severely hindering people’s rights and ability to survive in a region that has seen terrible devastation to its communities for decades.

2023 Earthquake: a glimpse of hope amidst tragedy?

The recent earthquake affected the infrastructure of the dams in the occupied territories leading them to be opened to prevent flooding. This has given hope to some farmers living further south who have rushed to install water pumps in the hopes that they might recover their usual farming activities. The recent electoral push to further the transfer of Syrian refugees to the occupied regions of Syria, makes it unlikely that the efforts to control and expand the territorial occupation of Syria might end. Furthermore, Turkey has a record of weaponising water against the Kurdish, Assyrian and Syriac communities that majoritarily inhabit the South East of its borders.

Nothing new

In 2018, Turkey inaugurated the Ilisu Dam, which holds water from the Tigris River, considerably reducing its water flow into Syria and Iraq while flooding the area it is built in. This area includes the town of Hasankeyf, a 12,000-year-old settlement with important archaeological, cultural and historical heritage. This heritage includes 1,000-year-old mosques and churches and the legacy of as many as 20 civilisations that have possibly inhabited this city. Since 2018, this heritage is drowning under 60 m of water, getting increasingly damaged as time passes. Crucially, the flooding of this town has left 80,000 people displaced. Given that Hasankeyf has historically been inhabited by Kurdish, Syriac, Assyrian and Armenian minorities the intentional flooding reveals a clear aim to erase history. It also sets a precedent of Turkey’s weaponisation of water against minority communities that historically inhabit its territory.

The instrumentalization of water for political reasons is a widespread practice in the Middle East with examples ranging from Saddam Hussein’s draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes during the Iran-Iraq war to the conflicts over the water supply in the Jordan river basin, as well as the cases already discussed involving Turkey. These political weaponisations of the water supply aggravate the already dire situation of water availability which has been severely impacted by climate change.  The Middle East is one of the most affected regions of the world by climate change. The effects of this on water availability have led experts to describe the region as “the world’s most water-stressed.” As well as an ecological disaster, the impact of water scarcity leads to food insecurity, and forced displacement and is a serious threat to the sustainability of livelihoods in rural areas that depend on agricultural and local natural resources.

Occupied by fear

The weaponization of water is but one of Turkey’s strategies to debilitate the Administration of North East Syria and the communities that live there. Drone attacks in the northeastern region are frequent, and amount to 130 strikes taking place in 2022, leaving 87 people dead. Besides the direct damage that these strikes have on human lives, drone attacks are a way for Turkey to extend its presence beyond the territories it directly occupies through the targeting of infrastructure. This has caused a sense of widespread fear in those living in the areas of the North East of Syria as well as those living in the immediate vicinity of the occupied cities of Ras al-Ayn and Afrin. Turkey’s operations continue to terrorise the lives of many in Syria and deserve the condemnation of the international community.