Aleppo between the Cold Winter and Fuel Shortage

By Lina al-Hakim*

(Aleppo, Syria) – The snowstorm that swept through the Middle East in December exacerbated the tragic situation in Syria. After it closed off what few roads were still open and damaged property that had escaped the shelling, the storm added another burden onto Syrian citizens, particularly those who have been displaced. There is a dire need for heating fuel due to the electricity outage as well as the high cost and rarity of gas.

 

Procuring fuel has become a main preoccupation in Aleppo. The demand for gasoline to generate electricity grew because of the recurring power cuts that sometimes last for days. In the absence of coal, the price of wood increased to 60 Syrian liras (about 40 cents) per kilogram, up from between 15 and 25 liras last winter. A family may need one ton of wood for the winter season, so many have begun using diesel.

The Syrian government allocated 250 litres of diesel at 60 liras per litre for each family, while neighbourhood officials made promises for an additional 100 litres in January. Diesel is sold on the black market for 165 liras per litre. Citizens must register their names with the area mayor and wait their turn for a barrel of gas a month later for 1,200 liras. They may also sometimes purchase gas from merchants for double the price or more.

College student Ibtisam, 24, lives with her family and the displaced families of her two sisters. Around 15 people share a small home in Aleppo’s Furqan neighbourhood. Their average monthly income is 30,000 liras (200 dollars).

“We wait for the electricity to bathe and wash,” says Ibtisam, despite the fact that electricity cuts sometimes last for 10 days. “For heat, we rely on wool blankets and thick clothes because of the price of wood. We also don’t have a diesel heater at home,” she added. Diesel heaters now cost 10,000 liras (75 dollars) or more because of the availability of the fuel, unlike the past winter when people had to rely on wood.

Residents of Aleppo are finding it difficult to procure basic food necessities because of price hikes and the ongoing conflict. They have now found themselves facing a winter described as the coldest in 100 years.

Abu Abdo is a remarried widower in his sixties who is displaced from the town of Khan al-Asal. He has 25 children; the oldest of whom is 45. Some of the children have left the city and some live with him in “Project 1070” in the Hamdaniya neighbourhood. They are all unemployed and depend entirely on charity to survive. While the house has no furniture, it always has electricity since it is one of the buildings which the government has connected to a permanent electricity line. The power cuts only during general outages in the city. The government provided these buildings with electricity after schools were emptied of refugees at the beginning of the school year. However, the availability of electricity is pointless, since the house does not have any electric heaters and residents must still rely on wood fires.

Most displaced people choose to use fire for heat even if it may lead to serious respiratory problems. Hamida and her family warm themselves by burning barrels filled with wood, paper, and plastic. She is a widower in her forties with three children, the oldest of whom is 14. She and the families of her two sisters sought refuge in an uncompleted building in “Project 1070” in the Hamdaniya neighbourhood. Her sister Huda’s husband is in prison, and she has three children, the oldest of whom is 12. Her other sister Bahia has a 16-year-old son. She prefers not to talk about her husband. They all live in an empty house with nylon covered windows to keep out the wind.

The displaced who have congregated in “Project 1070” all share the same terrible conditions. Houses are empty, some without windows or doors, and some have only shuttered windows. According to Hala, a volunteer with the Syria Trust Association, humanitarian organizations are distributing aid including wool blankets and electric heaters as well as food items.

“First we visit the families to evaluate their situation and identify those who are most in need. This takes a long time since it’s a huge compound, and each house has three families,” she said.

The same story emerges in every house. The biggest obsession on the streets of Aleppo is the harsh winter and the availability of fuel. Some are able to provide a little warmth to their families, while others pray for the winter to pass quickly while they are still alive.

Reema, 25, is a college student who lives with her family of nine. Their average monthly income is around 60,000 liras (400 dollars).

“We bought a heater after procuring 250 litres of diesel for it,” she said. “We don’t know if that is enough to last us through the winter. Electricity cuts are very bad, so we rely on hand washing and bathing after heating water on the stove. Between cooking and bathing and boiling water to wash clothes, our gas consumption has really increased.”

“It is hard to get a barrel of gas – meanwhile, barrels of gas are falling on our heads,” she added, referring to the “hell’s cannons” – barrels of gas employed as artillery – that the armed opposition uses to shell areas under government control. The barrels explode from pressure on contact, which usually leads to many civilian casualties in addition to severe damage to buildings.

In the opposition-controlled eastern part of Aleppo and neighbouring towns, residents have also been bombarded with a similar weapon by the government – barrels filled with explosives dropped from the aircraft. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, between December 15 and January 3, these raids killed at least 553 people, including 158 people under the age of 18, 48 women and 51 fighters.

*A pseudonym for a journalist living in Syria