Syrian jihadi group charges farmers for irrigation amid water crisis
The water resources directorate of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-affiliated Salvation Government has imposed fees for irrigation as part of a project to rehabilitate water stations in al-Roj Plain in Idlib.
Amid a worsening water crisis in northwest Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has taken a series of measures to weather the effects of this crisis and help citizens cope with its repercussions.
Throughout the years of war, Syrian government forces have repeatedly targeted vital infrastructure and facilities, including drinking and irrigation water pumping stations, which has prevented farmers from irrigating their agricultural lands.
Al-Roj Plain in the western countryside of Idlib was not spared the damage. The water pumps at the Balaa Dam in the countryside of Jisr al-Shughur in southwest Idlib province stopped working in 2013 due to repeated bombings, before rehabilitation works were recently launched to improve agriculture in the area.
The HTS-affiliated Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib recently started pumping water from Ain al-Zarqa spring to Balaa Dam through a number of pumps, as part of a project that aims to help farmers and enable them to plant water-intensive crops.
