The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday warned in a statement of the collapse of water systems in northwest Syria. The survivors of the earthquake, which hit Syria on February 6, are facing humanitarian consequences and difficult health challenges due to exacerbating the damage to crumbling water networks.
ICRC said that the earthquake caused direct damage to water infrastructure in many areas of north-west Syria, reducing its effectiveness and increasing the risk that contaminated water could leak.
ICRC added that many people who lost their homes due to the earthquake depend on polluted water to meet their needs amid the rapid outbreak of cholera in northern Syria.
ICRC pointed out that only 50% of water and sanitation systems function properly throughout Syria.
“The possibility of devastating public health repercussions as a knock-on effect from the earthquake is frighteningly high,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the regional director for the Near and Middle East for the ICRC.
On February 6, 2023, at dawn a devastating earthquake hit areas in north-west Syria, causing a humanitarian catastrophe due to the massive destruction and resulting in thousands of victims and injured.
