After a failed ceasefire coordinated by Russia and the United States, Syria is once again at war. The civil war in Syria is between rebel forces and the Syrian government run by Bashar al-Assad. One of the key points of conflict in the civil war is the city of Aleppo. Bombings occur often, reducing buildings to rubble and leaving many trapped inside. The now-famous image of Omran Daqneesh, the Syrian boy pulled out of the rubble of a bombed building, symbolizes the dire circumstances in Aleppo. One of the recent developments in Aleppo's situation is the lack of water.
On Thursday, a rebel-held pumping station for water was damaged. The other available water source in the city is being withheld from the city's residence so as to apply pressure on the rebels. Kieran Dwyer, an Unicef representative, told BBC News that "That pumping station pumps water to the entire population of the eastern part of the city - that's at least 200,000 people and then in retaliation for that attack a nearby pumping station that pumps water to the entire western part of the city - upwards to 1.5 million people - was deliberately switched off."
The Syrian government appears unconcerned that they are subjecting an entire city of their citizens to dire circumstances. Without access to water, the people of Aleppo will be forced to search out other sources of water. As the pumping stations served as the main sources of clean water, the people will be forced to drink unclean water. This could lead to sicknesses and diseases, making a horrific situation even worse. Failure to reach a permanent agreement between the rebels and Syrian government will lead to only further casualties.
