The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Monday of the risk of the deteriorating water network collapsing in Aleppo governorate in northwest Syria, which has been heavily affected by war following a month after the earthquake. The committee, based in Geneva, stated in an email that the disaster caused direct damage to the water infrastructure in the area, reducing its efficiency and increasing the risk of contaminated water leakage, warning of a "potential collapse."
Fabrizio Carboni, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the committee, stated, "The likelihood of grave public health consequences from the earthquake is frighteningly high." He added, "Cholera is already prevalent in parts of Syria, and at least two deaths have been reported since the earthquake." The committee noted that many water tanks on rooftops were destroyed during the disaster, adding pressure to an already deteriorating water system due to a 12-year ongoing conflict.
Approximately six thousand people lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred on February 6, along with the aftershocks that followed in Syria, with most casualties occurring in an opposition-controlled area near the Turkish border.
