Syrian Arab Republic: Aleppo Situation Report No. 14 (20 January 2017) [EN/AR]

Highlights

• Since 14 January, an estimated 1.8 million people in Aleppo city and eastern rural Aleppo have been cut off from their main source of water supply following a technical failure in Al Khafse water station. The UN is supporting the response to the water crisis.

• More than 121,350 people originally from east Aleppo city have been officially registered in different locations. Of those, 65,345 remained or re-registered in east Aleppo, 50,929 are registered as sheltering in west Aleppo, and 5,077 remain in the Jibreen collective shelter.

• The UN have allocated US$19 million from the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) to sustain immediate life-saving and early recovery assistance for tens of thousands of people in Aleppo.

• Many IDPs returning to their houses in east Aleppo discover their properties were looted. These families urgently need additional NFIs.

121,350 people who previously resided in east Aleppo have been registered as still living within Aleppo city

5,077 IDPs registered as still residing in Jibreen collective shelter in the absence of alternative options

1,8M people are deprived from regular access to water due to a technical failure in Al Khafse water station

400,000 people reached through UN water trucking activities in response to the water crisis in Aleppo

Situational Overview

Since 14 January, an estimated 1.8 million people in Aleppo city and rural eastern Aleppo have been cut off from their main source of water supply following a technical failure at the Al Khafse water station located near Al-Bab city in eastern rural Aleppo, an area under ISIL control. Though the issue at hand can be technically fixed, ISIL is not allowing repair teams to access the water station for repair works.

In the interim, the Aleppo water authority is operating 90 wells that are providing access to water for almost one million people. In addition, the UN has installed 61 tanks and rehabilitated an additional 100 wells throughout the city. UNICEF continues their water trucking activities at the rate of 6 million liters per day, benefiting 400,000 people, in addition to supplying fuel for the operation of wells, and water purification materials. In addition, ICRC, SARC and other humanitarian actors installed 107 water tanks in various neighborhoods, conducted maintenance work for 122 wells, and provide additional water trucking services.

The security situation in Aleppo city remained comparatively calm during the reporting period, and only sporadic mortar incidents have been reported. In the meantime, an additional 10,000 individuals have been registered throughout the reporting period in both east and west Aleppo, bringing the total number of individuals who formerly resided in east Aleppo and who remain in Aleppo city to more than 121,350.

In east Aleppo, the neighborhoods of Hanano, Tariq Al-Bab and Al-Qaser continue to host the largest numbers of returnees, with respectively 16,500, 14,194 and 10,260 people. However, to date, no structural assessment for damaged buildings has been carried out in any of these neighbourhoods even though many of the buildings are structurally unsound and pose a severe threat to the population. A letter has been sent by the UN to the Governor’s Office to launch structural assessments in priority areas, such as Hanano and surrounding neighborhoods. The UN and humanitarian partners stand ready to support local authorities in this capacity in the coming weeks.

In addition to damage to their houses, many IDPs have discovered upon their return that their properties were looted. These IDPs need additional support in the form of non-food items (NFIs) to enable them to rebuild their lives. Items distributed by the UN include mattresses, high thermal blankets, diapers, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, jerry cans, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, winter clothing kits, solar lamps, sleeping bags, thermal underwear, rubber boots, and carpet.

During field visits, UN staff members observed a significant number of female-headed households. Many of the women interviewed had lost their husbands or fathers for reasons including death, family separation, abandonment, and, in some cases, reported detention. Many of the children were found collecting water or queuing for fuel and hot meal distributions instead of attending school, and many of them reported having to provide for or assist in meeting their families’ basic needs.

Limited transportation options also pose a serious challenge for residents of east Aleppo wishing to access services, assistance or income-generating opportunities. Currently, public transportation only serves Hanano, whereas residents in the remaining neighborhoods of east Aleppo must travel long distances on foot or use their scarce resources for private transportation.