NGOs in northeast Syria warn of low water levels in hydroelectric dams
Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River could shut down next month, which would affect electricity and water supplies for millions of people in autonomous administration, government and rebel territory.
Humanitarian organizations in northeast Syria are warning that low water levels in the Euphrates River could force the Tishrin Dam to close. This would reduce electricity and drinking water in the war-torn region.
The Tishrin Dam is currently experiencing critically low water levels, leading to electricity blackouts. If the water supply is not increased, the hydroelectric dam will need to stop operating by mid-June. The water reserves in the Tabqa Dam are also more than 80% depleted. The closure of both dams would lead to the loss of the main electricity source for 3 million people and a shortage of drinking water for more than 5 million people, according to a report by a nongovernmental organization coordination body in northeast Syria.
The Tishrin Dam is on the Euphrates River southeast of the city of Manbij. The Tabqa Dam is farther south on the same river. Both are in the territory of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration of north and east Syria.
The dams are the primary electricity source for most of the autonomous administration territory. They also provide electricity to government and Turkish-backed rebel parts of Aleppo province. The dams provide water to most of the population in Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Aleppo provinces, which are also under a mix of autonomous administration, government and rebel control.
