Aleppo (IINA) – The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said a facility that provides drinking water to more than two million people in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo has resumed its operation over the weekend, following a 48-day deliberate shutdown.
The al-Khafseh facility, which draws raw water from the Euphrates River, produces an average of 400 million litres of clean water daily. It is the sole source of drinking water for the entire city of Aleppo and eastern areas of the governorate.
“Getting clean water flowing again for the people of Aleppo is lifesaving” said UNICEF Representative in Syria Hanaa Singer.
“One million children rely on this facility for safe drinking water essential for preventing waterborne diseases which can be life-threatening and in extreme cases deadly for children,” she added.
UNICEF said it has documented some tactics of using water as a weapon of war by all sides to the conflict in Syria. Consequently, millions of civilians are being deprived of clean water for drinking and domestic use.
“Parties to the conflict must stop attacking or deliberately interrupting water supply, which is indispensable for the survival of the population,” Singer said, stressing that they should protect the treatment, distribution systems, pipelines and personnel who repair water installations.
The al-Khafseh facility was deliberately shutdown on January 16. Over the past weeks, UNICEF has been working closely with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support water trucking, emergency repairs and rehabilitation so that water infrastructure systems are able to function to serve the entire population of Aleppo.
AB/IINA
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