Published : 05-12-2021
As weather temperatures have gone down, Palestinian refugee families in Syria continue to struggle with multiple hardships.
Speaking with AGPS, a number of Palestinian refugees sheltered in Deraa Camp, south of Syria, said they have no heating equipment except for blankets and mattresses.
The families expressed fear that they won’t be able to cook their food or keep the cold out of their homes this year due to fuel dearth, as a freezing winter season is about to unlock its gates.
The refugees have launched into a tirade against the malpractices of Syria’s burgeoning black oil market, fuel shortages, and—most of all—the exorbitant prices of wood and fuel charged by corrupt officials and traders.
A liter of fuel is sold in the black market at over 3,000 Syrian pounds a liter.
Families barely receive 50 liters of fuel through the smart card, which has become essential in the Syrian government-held areas. With this card, a family can obtain their small but vital allocations of heating oil, gas, bread, sugar, rice, and other goods. In early 2019, the Syrian government began the smart card system, which allegedly aimed to stop monopolization of aid and provide support to those in need.
The power crisis has made the situation far worse.
At the same time, desperate for warmth, displaced Palestinian and Syrian families taking refuge in under-equipped camps and substandard facilities have been burning their clothes and plastic materials to stave off winter cold after they failed to afford firewood and fuel supplies. Scores of children have sustained costochondritis (chest inflammation) and bronchitis due to heavy smoke inhalation.
As weather temperatures have gone down, Palestinian refugee families in Syria continue to struggle with multiple hardships.
Speaking with AGPS, a number of Palestinian refugees sheltered in Deraa Camp, south of Syria, said they have no heating equipment except for blankets and mattresses.
The families expressed fear that they won’t be able to cook their food or keep the cold out of their homes this year due to fuel dearth, as a freezing winter season is about to unlock its gates.
The refugees have launched into a tirade against the malpractices of Syria’s burgeoning black oil market, fuel shortages, and—most of all—the exorbitant prices of wood and fuel charged by corrupt officials and traders.
A liter of fuel is sold in the black market at over 3,000 Syrian pounds a liter.
Families barely receive 50 liters of fuel through the smart card, which has become essential in the Syrian government-held areas. With this card, a family can obtain their small but vital allocations of heating oil, gas, bread, sugar, rice, and other goods. In early 2019, the Syrian government began the smart card system, which allegedly aimed to stop monopolization of aid and provide support to those in need.
The power crisis has made the situation far worse.
At the same time, desperate for warmth, displaced Palestinian and Syrian families taking refuge in under-equipped camps and substandard facilities have been burning their clothes and plastic materials to stave off winter cold after they failed to afford firewood and fuel supplies. Scores of children have sustained costochondritis (chest inflammation) and bronchitis due to heavy smoke inhalation.
