Government alert to confront the Euphrates flood. The gates of the overflow opened for the first time in 30 years

The governorates on the banks of the Euphrates River (Aleppo, Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor) are witnessing a state of maximum alert and raising the levels of readiness to the highest level, following an unprecedented wave of water flow that led to a rise in the river level at rates that may exceed two meters in the coming period.

This sudden rise came after the Euphrates Lakes behind the dam reached a  record capacity of more than 97% as a result of the heavy rains witnessed in the regions of northern and northeastern Syria during the current season, prompting the Ministry of Energy to open the overflow gates for the first time in more than three decades.

Ministerial warnings and strict preventive guidelines

The Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed Al-Saleh, called on residents of the three governorates to take the highest levels of caution and caution, based on the data issued by the Ministry's Early Warning and Preparedness Department and in coordination with the Euphrates Dam Corporation.

Al-Saleh confirmed through the (X) platform that the Syrian Civil Defense teams have raised their full readiness to respond to any emergency, stressing that safety is a shared responsibility, and that the commitment of the people to preventive measures constitutes the first line of defense.

The Ministry urged residents to immediately adhere to a number of guidelines, most notably staying away from the riverbed and its sanctity, immediately evacuating nearby houses and shops, especially in low-lying areas, preventing children from approaching water, in addition to transporting livestock and agricultural machinery to high places, and avoiding the use of water ferries or earthen bridges under any circumstances.

Decision to Ensure Structural Safety

For his part, the Director General of the Euphrates Dam General Corporation, Haitham Bakour, announced that the level of the river's height is likely to increase continuously, noting that technical measures have been initiated urgently.

In a related context, the Ministry of Energy announced that the technical cadres at the Euphrates Dam General Corporation have started opening three overflow gates in the dam following the significant rise in water intake, in a step that is the first of its kind in more than thirty years.

This step aims to maintain the structural and operational integrity of the dams, in parallel with enhancing the readiness of hydroelectric generating groups to supply the national grid with electricity.

This decision came after the Civil Defense cadres raised the alert levels as a result of the increase in the volume of water discharge from the dam to 1500 cubic meters per second.

Evacuation plans and 24/7 field monitoring

As part of the executive measures, the director of the search and rescue program at the Syrian Civil Defense at the Ministry of Emergencies, Wissam Zeidan, explained that the measures taken include the implementation of a rapid assessment of low-lying areas and populations that are most vulnerable to flooding.

Zeidan stressed that the specialized teams have prepared precautionary evacuation plans in coordination with municipalities and local councils to identify safe routes and shelter centers when needed, and rescue teams have been provided with boats, vehicles, water rescue equipment, and water pumps, in addition to deploying reconnaissance and monitoring teams to monitor any immediate changes in the field and activate operations rooms and hotlines between the governorates.

Deir Ezzor: Bridge closures and temporary paralysis of river navigation

In Deir Ezzor governorate, the Emergency and Disaster Management Committee issued decisive decisions that included a complete suspension of traffic on the earthen bridge connecting the two banks of the river as a result of parts of it being pressured by strong water currents, in addition to temporarily halting river traffic, including ferries and boats, to avoid drowning accidents.

Security patrols have also been deployed to ensure compliance with the closure decisions, in parallel with the issuance of stern warnings to the residents of the river hedges, farmers and owners of tourist establishments to stay at least 50 meters away from the two banks, with a focus on the areas of (Al-Tabni, Khasham, and Sousse). In a related context, the technical teams began monitoring the drinking water treatment plants located on the banks to address any increase in turbidity and mud levels resulting from the flooding, as the governorate confirmed that the reopening of bridges or the resumption of navigation is contingent on the issuance of a technical report proving that the flow has decreased to safe levels of less than 800 cubic meters per second.

Raqqa: Urgent Actions to Reduce Agricultural Damage

In Raqqa governorate, the Directorate of Water Resources has raised the readiness of its technical teams to address the repercussions of the rise in the level of the water level. The directorate's assistant director of water resources for technical affairs in Raqqa, Ammar al-Issa, explained that the directorate has sent urgent warnings to farmers to move their equipment and supplies to safe places.

Al-Issa indicated that the current rate of damage in agricultural lands does not exceed 15 percent, but it is likely to increase in the event of the continued flow of water, especially in the lands near the river bed that have been invested and ploughed during the past years, stressing the continuation of field follow-up in coordination with the Directorate of Disasters and Emergencies to reduce any additional losses.