Author: Paul Lehr
Isaiah 17:6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel.
January 16, 2017: The water crisis in the Damascus area continues to worsen. The Ein al-Fijeh spring provides Damascus with approximately 70 percent of the water supply. Nine million people in and around Damascus have significantly impaired access to clean water. This is up from four million people just a couple of weeks ago. To make matters worse, the chief negotiator respected by both sides was assassinated.
Water prices on the black market are soaring. The cost of water ranges from $500 to $750 a month. The water is for daily needs such as drinking and sanitation. The economic backdrop is a good paying job results in about $150 a month.
Of particular concern is the area of Wadi Barada. There are an estimated 100,000 people in the surrounded area. This is the Sunni controlled area (Al Qaeda of Syria, Al Nusra, or rebels supported by Obama Administration) enclosed by Shia lead forces of the Syrian government and Hezbollah of Lebanon. This area has been surrounded since mid-December 2016.
Inside the area, conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Utilities such as water, electricity, and internet are out. Communication is nonexistent.
Food is becoming scarce and people are cutting back on meals. Staples such as flour and baby formula are gone. People are eating limited olives and pickled eggplant. Locals are starting to live off the land by eating apples from local orchards and eating grass.
Medical care is declining as well. It is estimated there are only 10 doctors and 25 nurses. Medicine is in short supply and people are dying from a lack of supplies. Emergency care is becoming more and more limited. Amputations are increasing as a way to save critically injured patients. Disease is spreading among the weakest children and elderly. A lack of clean water is only making the situation worse with each day.
Northeast of Damascus, ISIS has cut off water to Aleppo. Electrical water pumps have been shut down since this past Saturday, January 14, 2017.
ISIS has warned the Kurdish military to stay away from the Tabqa or Euphrates Dam. They have threatened to blow the dam and flood the Euphrates River valley.
