Skip to main content
Home International Committee of the Red Cross
Find help Donate
Back
  • Happening now
    Happening now

    Discover what’s new

    Stay updated with the latest news and ongoing initiatives of the ICRC.

    Latest operations

    Featured

    • A community kitchen in Myanmar
      Myanmar: One month on, earthquake survivors face continuing challenges
    • Red Cross Field Hospital aerial shot
      The Red Cross Field Hospital one year on: A lifeline and a stark reminder in Ga…
    • Red Cross staff at a water distribution
      Every attack on a humanitarian is an attack on the community they served. A sta…
  • Who we are
    Who we are

    We are the International Committee of the Red Cross

    Neutral, impartial, and independent. Discover our values and mission.

    Discover who we are
    • About us
      Our rich history, our mandate and mission, and our Fundamental Principles are behind the work we do to protect and save lives.
    • How we are run
      Our President and leadership, our finances and our accountability ensure the integrity of our humanitarian operations.
    • International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement
      The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the largest humanitarian network in the world.
  • What we do
    What we do

    Our work to protect people affected by conflict

    The ICRC responds quickly and efficiently to help people affected by armed conflict.

    All our activities

    In focus

    • ICRC working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society to support people displaced by violence in Pin Laung and Hsi Hseng, to provide emergency aid. Photographer: Thang Khan Sian Khai
      Protection: Upholding the rights of people in conflict
    • Reconnecting families: Preventing separation, searching for the missing, reunit…
    • Helping detainees: Protecting and assisting people deprived of their liberty
  • Where we work
    Where we work

    Explore our global reach

    We have offices in over 90 countries around the world, providing assistance and protection to people affected by conflict.

    ICRC around the world

    Key operations

    • Afghanistan
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • Ethiopia
    • Israel and the occupied territories
    • Myanmar
    • Sudan
    • Syria
    • Ukraine
    • Yemen
  • Law & Policy
    Law & Policy

    Law & Policy

    Gain insights into the ICRC's role in developing and promoting international humanitarian law and policy.

    Discover more
    • Geneva Conventions and the law
      Even wars have rules. The Geneva Conventions are at the core of international humanitarian law.
    • Topics, debates and disarmament
      Weapons and disarmament, protected persons and other contemporary challenges for international humanitarian law.
    • Teaching IHL, research, Advisory Service and other resources
      We support the teaching, learning and implementation of humanitarian law principles.
  • Support us
    Support us

    Partner with us

    We invite organizations, institutions and philanthropists to join us in our mission to alleviate the suffering of those affected by armed conflict.

    How to partner with us

    Support us

    Find out how you as an individual can contribute to our humanitarian efforts to help people suffering because of armed conflict.

    How to support us
    • Ukraine: the crisis continues
    • Urgent: Israel-Gaza emergency appeal
    • Myanmar_Red Cross earthquake
      Urgent help needed: Myanmar earthquakes
  • Find help
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Contact us
  • Report an incident of misconduct
  • Work with us
  • FAQ
ICRC Websites
Photo gallery
18-10-2020

2020: The year of the worst water shortage in Hassakeh, Syria

  • Syria
  • Water and habitat

Share

  • Share on X
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook
Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

Tawfik, 60 years old “We have suffered from the lack of water. I and 90% of people in Hassakeh need water. Digging wells only brings up water contaminated with sewage that is not drinkable and cannot be used for washing”

Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

Under these circumstances, survival strategies also fall on the shoulders of children who are seen at all water tanks, carrying water bottles or jerry-cans, sometimes half their size and weight.

Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

Instead of carrying toys or school books, children in Hassakeh carry heavy water bottles and containers.

Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

Children transporting water containers on motorbikes in Hassakeh

Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

In Hassakeh, transporting water containers is a common scene and a daily task for children.

Natalie Bekdache/ICRC

Two children carrying several water tanks. On their way they meet another girl doing the same.

Throughout the 9 years of conflict, suffering seeped into the lives of the Syrian people through varied spheres, one of which is the disruption of vital services.

In Hassakeh city, in the North East of Syria, 2020 brought with it the reality of water shortage. More than 500,000 people had to contend with disruption of water flow at different intervals throughout the year with the harshest and longest interval in August, in the mid of summer.

Temperatures in summer can reach close to 50 degrees Celsius, and drinking water is crucial for the survival just like hygiene is a priority amidst a pandemic that requires an abundance of water for prevention. The ICRC, with the support of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, installed 100 water tanks that were filled twice daily to help respond to some of the needs.

Talking to some of the people of Hassakeh at several water tanks locations across the city, they relayed what the water shortage means to them and how it feels:

Haidar, an 11-year-old said: “We are dying, and we need every drop of water,” while Asmahan, a woman in her fifties, commented on the prohibitive costs stating that “the water bottle in the shop is now for 400-500 liras, how can I afford it? Death has become easier for us than this life”.

Even with water tanks freely accessible, the needs were so much higher as emphasized by Mahmoud: “The water tanks cover only a small fraction of the consumption of water, especially during the summer, there needs to be a constant flow. If there is no water, there is no life!”

Water to the residents of Hassakeh city comes from Allouk water station, which has seen frequent disruptions in the past few months. Thankfully today is being repaired with the support of the ICRC and SARC, and water is flowing again.

The ICRC constantly urges all parties to the conflict to protect vital resources crucial for the survival of the civilian population and refrain from any politicization around them.

Related articles

The ICRC works with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) to deliver assistance to remote areas.
Photo gallery
15-01-2025

Myanmar: The year 2024 in pictures

The ICRC team pitcured with community of Gulbahar, Kapisa
Photo gallery
31-12-2024

Afghanistan: A year of responding to numerous humanitarian challenges

Photo gallery
25-01-2024

Syria: 2023 in pictures

More photo galleries

Topic-dedicated ICRC websites

Explore our blogs, apps, reviews and other resources dedicated to humanitarian impact, insight, law and policy.

ICRC Websites

Direct access

  • Find help
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Contact us
  • Report an incident of misconduct
  • Work with us
  • FAQ

Newsletter

Fields marked with * are required
To learn how we process your data, visit our Privacy Notice.
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • Privacy policy
  • Tax deduction
  • Privacy Settings
  • Community guidelines

Terms and conditions - ICRC ©2025 - All right reserved