The Damascus and Rural Damascus Water and Sanitation Authority signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, September 8, with the humanitarian organization Rahma Without Borders, worth $2 million, to rehabilitate water wells in Wadi Marwan and Jdeidat Yabous (Damascus countryside), alongside sewage network maintenance in the eastern Damascus towns of Maliha and Shebaa.

Mohammad Ammar Bani al-Marja, Executive Director of Rahma Without Borders, told Enab Baladi that the project “will contribute to strengthening water security in Damascus and its countryside.” The plan includes “providing stations with mechanical and electrical equipment and constructing integrated control rooms,” which he described as “a prelude to larger service-sector projects.”

Ahmad Darwish, Director of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Water and Sanitation Authority, explained that the project is overseen by the Ministry of Energy and aims to “rehabilitate stations in western Damascus and its countryside to increase pumping capacity by about 25,000 cubic meters per day, covering the needs of more than 500,000 beneficiaries.”

He added that works include “equipping wells with cables and pumps, laying new water supply lines, repairing water and sewage networks, and providing stations with power lines exempt from electricity rationing.”

Osama Abu Zaid, Deputy Minister of Energy for Water Resources, told Enab Baladi that the project also targets rehabilitating some stations in the Zarzar Lake and Wadi al-Kanaes areas. He said the expected added value would be an additional 25,000 cubic meters of water, expressing hope for the project’s “swift and technically efficient” implementation.

Earlier, the Damascus and Rural Damascus Water Authority signed an agreement with the Czech Embassy in Damascus to establish two water purification plants at an estimated cost of $830,000.

According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on August 7, the agreement aimed to improve drinking water quality in Adra al-Jadida and Yalda (Damascus countryside) by maintaining existing networks and establishing new distribution lines. The report added that both parties had previously carried out projects to improve water quality in the towns of Hazzeh, Aqraba, Shebaa, and Douma (Damascus countryside).

Emergency Plan

In March, the Damascus and Rural Damascus Water Authority launched an emergency plan to address shortages from the main spring feeding the capital and surrounding areas, as well as declining water levels in primary and secondary sources around it.

Darwish said at the time that the Damascus basin had been depleted this year due to low levels at Ain al-Fijeh spring. The authority is preparing more than 100 wells inside the city to compensate, distributed across the Fifth, Eighth, and Sixth Districts, and in the neighborhoods of Rabweh, Qadam, Barada, and Jdeidat Yabous.

Practical Steps

Imad Naami, Deputy Director for Technical Affairs at the Damascus and Rural Damascus Water Authority, told Enab Baladi that maintenance had been carried out to restore several inactive wells, which are now supplying water to the distribution network according to the announced schedule.

He explained that wells were activated in Wadi Marwan and Jdeidat Yabous, while maintenance is underway on Ain Barada wells, with others across Damascus to follow. Works include extracting and reinstalling pumps after maintenance, along with servicing electrical boards and cables.

Searching for Alternatives

The authority has prioritized maintaining wells at main sources, Ain Barada, Wadi Marwan, and Jdeidat Yabous, since they provide significant amounts of water to compensate for the decline at Ain al-Fijeh and Ain Haroush. It is also working with international organizations to secure other sources by preparing previously drilled wells for service in the coming period.

Declining Water Levels

Darwish attributed the reduced water levels in 2025 to several factors:

• Rainfall last winter did not exceed 33%.

• Climate change across Syria.

• A sharp decline in the Damascus basin, dropping to 150 ml compared to nearly 500 ml in previous years.

• Increased reliance on illegal water sources, especially shallow wells dug 5–7 meters deep.

• Population growth and rising demand.

He urged residents to ration water use, noting that around 1.2 million subscribers are connected in Damascus and its countryside.

The capital and its Ghouta suburbs are fed by two main springs: Ain al-Fijeh and Barada. The latter lies about 40 kilometers from Damascus, with the Barada River flowing 65 kilometers west to east through the Zabadani plain before joining Ain al-Fijeh at the village of Ain al-Fijeh.