Published : 21-05-2022
Residents of Khan Dannun Camp for Palestinian refugees, in Rif Dimashq, continue to set off alarm bells over the mounds of trash and debris piled up in civilian neighborhoods and around the main access roads to the camp, resulting in bed smells and the spread of life-threatening diseases and rodents.
Pictures circulated on social media show floods of waste water and garbage piles swamping Khan Dannun’s residential alleyways and thoroughfares.
The families called on the concerned authorities and relief institutions, namely UNRWA, to make urgent steps in order to clear garbage, rinse out waste water, and enhance hygiene in the area.
The residents lashed out at the local authorities for turning blind eyes to their appeals to enhance infrastructure and basic services.
Living conditions in Khan Dannun have sharply deteriorated due to the lack of financial resources and high unemployment rates wrought by the raging warfare. A transportation crisis has added bad to worse.
According to UN data, Khan Dannun camp was built several centuries ago to give overnight accommodation to trading caravans on the ancient route between Jerusalem and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). In 1948, the ruins of the city provided shelter for refugees from villages in northern Palestine.
The camp, which lies 23 km south of Damascus, was officially established in 1950-1951 on an area of 0.03 square kilometers. The camp was home to 10,000 Palestine refugees by 2011, almost all of whom were living in irregular housing, constructed without any formal approval from the municipality.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was already one of the poorest camps in Syria. The conflict exerted additional pressures. The camp was surrounded by armed opposition groups and many refugee families displaced from other areas of Damascus took refuge in the camp, tripling the number of residents to some 30,000 during the crisis. Currently, the camp is home to 12,650 Palestine refugees. The increase of the camp population has had a negative impact on the camp’s infrastructure.
Residents of Khan Dannun Camp for Palestinian refugees, in Rif Dimashq, continue to set off alarm bells over the mounds of trash and debris piled up in civilian neighborhoods and around the main access roads to the camp, resulting in bed smells and the spread of life-threatening diseases and rodents.
Pictures circulated on social media show floods of waste water and garbage piles swamping Khan Dannun’s residential alleyways and thoroughfares.
The families called on the concerned authorities and relief institutions, namely UNRWA, to make urgent steps in order to clear garbage, rinse out waste water, and enhance hygiene in the area.
The residents lashed out at the local authorities for turning blind eyes to their appeals to enhance infrastructure and basic services.
Living conditions in Khan Dannun have sharply deteriorated due to the lack of financial resources and high unemployment rates wrought by the raging warfare. A transportation crisis has added bad to worse.
According to UN data, Khan Dannun camp was built several centuries ago to give overnight accommodation to trading caravans on the ancient route between Jerusalem and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). In 1948, the ruins of the city provided shelter for refugees from villages in northern Palestine.
The camp, which lies 23 km south of Damascus, was officially established in 1950-1951 on an area of 0.03 square kilometers. The camp was home to 10,000 Palestine refugees by 2011, almost all of whom were living in irregular housing, constructed without any formal approval from the municipality.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was already one of the poorest camps in Syria. The conflict exerted additional pressures. The camp was surrounded by armed opposition groups and many refugee families displaced from other areas of Damascus took refuge in the camp, tripling the number of residents to some 30,000 during the crisis. Currently, the camp is home to 12,650 Palestine refugees. The increase of the camp population has had a negative impact on the camp’s infrastructure.
