ALEPPO, Syria — Residents of the opposition-controlled eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo are bracing themselves for the harsh winter conditions amid the regime's blockade that has been ongoing since Sept. 4. The besieged neighborhoods are facing a lack of heat sources for the winter. They have critically limited access to fuel and electricity, and there are prohibitively high, blockade-driven prices for wood, their basic heat source during the past four years.
As winter draws near, the price of a 200-liter barrel of diesel fuel hit 250,000 Syrian pounds ($500) in the eastern neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo because of the blockade. Before the blockade, the same quantity sold for 55,000 pounds ($90). Meanwhile, the price of a ton of firewood for heating reached 200,000 pounds ($400), compared to $120 before the blockade. Families cannot afford such prices in Aleppo amid difficult economic conditions plaguing the eastern neighborhoods of the city, as the average income of family providers does not exceed $100 — if they are lucky enough to have a job.
