Published : 24-01-2017
The Palestine Charity Commission in southern Damascus warned of the swift propagation of life-threatening diseases and infections among thousands of civilians and refugees in such southern Damascus areas of Yalda, Babilla, and Beit Sahem, due to contaminated water supplies.
The charity warned that several children have been diagnosed with sharp diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases, and leishmaniasis, among other lethal diseases.
The commission attributed the phenomenon to the unhygienic water supplies drunk by civilians in the area as the Syrian government cut off water to Yarmouk shelter and its environs since September 9, 2014. Springs serving hundreds of civilians in the territory have also ceased to flow.
Over recent months, activists in blockaded southern Damascus areas raised alarm bells over the countless cases of intoxication spotted among stranded children, mostly in Yarmouk and Babilla due to the infected Al-Fijeh water line.
No significant water purification endeavors have taken place in the area. One such rare attempt occurred in Babilla, where a resident manufactured a handmade water filter to remove undesirable chemicals and suspended contaminants from the impure al-Fijeh supplies.
The situation has gone far worse due to a tough blockade imposed on Yarmouk by ISIS militias and the Al-Nusra Front since April 2014.
Following clashes with Al-Nusra Front on April 7, 2016, ISIS tightened grip on the camp, blocking civilians’ access out of the beleaguered shelter to fetch water.
The Palestine Charity Commission in southern Damascus warned of the swift propagation of life-threatening diseases and infections among thousands of civilians and refugees in such southern Damascus areas of Yalda, Babilla, and Beit Sahem, due to contaminated water supplies.
The charity warned that several children have been diagnosed with sharp diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases, and leishmaniasis, among other lethal diseases.
The commission attributed the phenomenon to the unhygienic water supplies drunk by civilians in the area as the Syrian government cut off water to Yarmouk shelter and its environs since September 9, 2014. Springs serving hundreds of civilians in the territory have also ceased to flow.
Over recent months, activists in blockaded southern Damascus areas raised alarm bells over the countless cases of intoxication spotted among stranded children, mostly in Yarmouk and Babilla due to the infected Al-Fijeh water line.
No significant water purification endeavors have taken place in the area. One such rare attempt occurred in Babilla, where a resident manufactured a handmade water filter to remove undesirable chemicals and suspended contaminants from the impure al-Fijeh supplies.
The situation has gone far worse due to a tough blockade imposed on Yarmouk by ISIS militias and the Al-Nusra Front since April 2014.
Following clashes with Al-Nusra Front on April 7, 2016, ISIS tightened grip on the camp, blocking civilians’ access out of the beleaguered shelter to fetch water.
