Zürcher Nachrichten - Euphrates flood deprives east Syria farmers from crops

Syrian authorities have said the country was experiencing an "exceptional" rise in water levels along the Euphrates River, which originates in Turkey and flows through the Raqa and Deir Ezzor provinces before reaching neighbouring Iraq.

The water flooded fields and homes, took bridges and crossings out of service, and disrupted the operation of pumping stations for drinking water and irrigation.

"I ploughed my land, which is six dunams (6,000 square metres) in size, and each dunam cost me one million liras ($75)... This land is lost," Moussa told AFP from his farmland, part of which was still submerged in water.

With his wheat crop destroyed, Moussa has no other source of income to feed his family.

The energy ministry said the floods were caused by "the significant and unprecedented increase in water flows from the Turkish side".

In Moussa's town, where many residents rely on agriculture as a source of income, water covered vast areas of farmland, while farmers stood in their fields assessing their losses.

It also surrounded some houses and small buildings.

Authorities estimated about 5,000 dunams (five square kilometres) of land in Deir Ezzor flooded, as well as about 1,500 dunams in the village of Al-Mahoukiya in Raqa.

"No one knows when this water will dry up," Moussa said, demanding that the government "compensate us, assist the farmers, raise the prices of wheat and cotton for us, and support us with fertiliser, medicines and fuel".

- 'Our lands are gone' -

Farmers in the area said they were not warned early enough to avoid losses to equipment and crops.

"We were not informed that dams would open... our lands are gone," Moussa added.

Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said "Turkey's warning to us about the rising water levels of the Euphrates River came too late".

Syria said last week it had to open the Euphrates Dam floodgates for the first time in decades.

No official Turkish position has been issued regarding coordination with Damascus on the rising water level of the Euphrates.

Turkish media however quoted official sources as saying that water authorities carried out "controlled water releases" from the Ataturk Dam after water levels rose due to heavy rainfall in recent months.

The four-metre rise in water levels also caused around 60 water pumping stations to go out of service, water company chief Ahmad al-Moussa told AFP.

On the riverbank, local resident Ahmad Saadoun pointed at a temporary earthen bridge that collapsed.

"We now struggle to cross from one bank to another... People are now crossing by boat, but it is also dangerous as long as the water has not calmed down," he told AFP.

- No harvests -

In response to the floods, the worst in 30 years, authorities were on the alert, reinforcing earthen barriers and preparing to evacuate if needed.

The energy ministry also said it closed one of the spillways from the Euphrates Dam which it had previously opened in to help reduce the flows.

On Sunday, Raqa water authorities said the Euphrates River water level had dropped by about 60 centimetres in 24 hours -- but the gradual decrease has not yet resolved the crisis.

In other parts of Kharita, the water crept suddenly at night, reaching farmers' homes.

"We were asleep when we saw the water rushing in," Mohammed Khodr al-Hussein, 27, said.

"We ran out... with only clothes on our backs. We left our cars, our livelihoods, our homes, and our farms behind. We have nothing left," he added.

"We farmers live season by season. We borrow at the beginning of each season and wait for the harvest to pay off our debts. Today, our losses are twofold: our money is gone, our crops are gone, and the wheat is no longer fit for harvesting."

E.Leuenberger--NZN