Over 27,000 Syrians Benefitted from SRTF-Supported WASH Efforts in 2020

Amman – Thursday, February 25, 2021 – The SRTF is committed to improving access to clean and potable water for the Syrian people. In keeping with this commitment, the SRTF continues to implement activities and projects focused on improving access to safe and reliable water sources for both personal and professional purposes. In 2020, 27,008 Syrians benefitted from SRTF efforts in the WASH sector. Furthermore, the Fund approved three new projects and interventions focused on the restoration of the WASH sector. In addition to these new efforts, the Fund also approved a number of WASH activities under interventions in the agriculture and health sectors. The total funds committed to these new WASH activities is around EUR 7.8 million.  

In Northeast Syria (NES), the Stabilization Programme’s Filling the Void (FtV) WASH efforts continue to make a strident impact in the targeted communities. Under an SRTF health intervention in Ar-Raqqa, the provisioning of water storage tanks and purifiers units served beneficiaries to have access to clean potable water and eliminating the root causes of various diseases. The implementing partner completed the installation of water tanks and water purifying units at 2000 households in four communities, benefiting a total of 15,113 beneficiaries in 2020, additionally, around 12,000 people benefited from hygiene awareness campaigns.

Meanwhile, an agriculture intervention in Deir Ez-Zor completed the rehabilitation of the main water canal and restored water flow to the canal. Furthermore, this intervention is currently in the process of rehabilitating water pumping stations in a number of agricultural communities to improve agriculture irrigation. This intervention is expected to benefit over 23,000 farmers cultivating around 22,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Finally, in NES, the SRTF’s WASH-specific intervention focused on rehabilitating a critical water pumping station completed all civil works, as well as mechanical and electrical repairs, to rehabilitate the targeted pump station. This intervention aims to provide residents and farmers with access to a reliable and safe water source, as well as provide irrigation water to farmers. The newly rehabilitated water pump is going through testing and once it is fully operational it will provide clean drinking water to around 53,500 beneficiaries, including internally displaced people (IDPs).

In addition to the impactful work being done in NES, the SRTF continues to support WASH activities and projects in Northern Aleppo. A project focused on the recovery of livestock production received 15 water storage tanks that will ensure sufficient water for livestock in hard-to-reach areas. At the end of 2020, the SRTF approved a new WASH project focused on the rehabilitation and extension of water supply networks for more than 75,000 residents in targeted communities in Northern Aleppo.

In a statement made by the SRTF’s Director General, Eng. Hani Khabbaz, regarding the SRTF’s involvement in the WASH sector, stated, “Water is one of the, if not the most, important resources in the world. The SRTF is committed to bolstering the WASH sector to provide Syrians with access to clean, safe, and reliable sources of water and sanitation.”

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