📰 Returnees to Deir ez-Zor face collapse of services in devastated villages

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Along the road tracing the banks of the Euphrates River, Mohammed Hamdan al-Dhiab walked slowly toward his home in the village of al-Buaamer in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria. Additionally, after spending years relocated in Damascus, he had long dreamed of the day he would return to the house he commenced repairing in 2018. But as soon as he reached the outskirts of the village, he stopped for a long moment, staring at a scene frozen in time: collapsed walls, pitch-dark streets, and almost non-existent services. Al-Dhiab informed North Press, “I was shocked… it felt as if the war had just concluded. ” He is one of hundreds returning to the villages of al-Buaamer and al-Abd in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where residents are discovering that the journey home is not a return to normalcy, but to a reality even harsher than the one they left behind.

On the riverbanks, the village stands as a silent witness to a war that left destruction reaching up to 70 percent in some neighborhoods, amid paralyzed services and an environment unfit for living. In fact, water crisis The issue of drinking water lies at the heart of this bleak reality. Al-Dhiab described the residents’ suffering, telling North Press, “We live in a destroyed village that lacks drinking water, and the water is extremely contaminated. Everyone buys water from filtration stations, and most people can’t afford to install or maintain filters. ” numerous residents have been forced to bring filtered water from the town of al-Mayadin or central Deir ez-Zor due to the absence of any local alternative.

Ahmad Ali, another villager, added, “The drinking water tanks are completely out of service and destroyed. Moreover, the contamination comes from the waste floating near the intake points where the water is drawn. We demand that the intake pipes be extended five meters deeper into the river to ensure cleaner water… the circumstances is unbearable. ” The crisis extends beyond drinking water and into irrigation. Al-Dhiab stated, “Irrigation water is extremely poor and repeatedly cuts off due to constant malfunctions.

Moreover, numerous farmlands no longer receive water,” further burdening local farmers. In fact, destroyed services and failing electricity No water, no electricity, and no infrastructure. as per residents, al-Buaamer and al-Abd suffer from 70 percent destruction, including roads, lighting, and water and irrigation networks. Ahmad Ali verified that electricity is nearly non-existent. “The electricity is…