Rainfall brings life back to Lake Zarzar in Damascus countryside after drying up
The rains witnessed in the current season have revived the stock of Lake Zarzar in the Damascus countryside, after it witnessed a complete drought last year, which restores its role as a main resource for irrigating the surrounding agricultural lands, and in a way that reflects positively on the agricultural and environmental realities.
Storage of 400 thousand cubic meters
The head of the Common Services Department at the Directorate of Water Resources in Damascus and its countryside, Eng. Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazawi, confirmed to SANA correspondent that the current rainy season has reflected positively on the reality of the lake, as the current storage volume has reached about 400 thousand cubic meters, after it witnessed a complete drought last year.
Al-Ghazzawi pointed out that the Public Authority for Water Resources has implemented a series of measures to preserve the lake and improve its efficiency, prevent encroachments, in addition to removing deposited or suspended materials such as silt, to ensure the flow of water towards agricultural lands.
Rehabilitation and Investment Plans
Al-Ghazawi revealed plans to fully rehabilitate the lake, including cleaning it, removing suspended materials, restoring the surrounding wall, rehabilitating the guard centers of the Public Authority for Water Resources, in addition to strengthening protection measures to prevent encroachments on the lake and ensure its water sustainability.
Al-Ghazzawi pointed out that the lake previously included a fish farm belonging to the Directorate of Agriculture in Damascus and its countryside, but the conditions that the country went through during the previous years led to the suspension of the project, noting the initiatives of the region's farmers to reintroduce fish fingers with the aim of reviving fish activity in the region.
According to Al-Ghazawi, work is underway to launch an integrated investment project in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism that aims to develop the services provided to visitors, indicating that the lake is an important tourist destination during holidays and holidays, due to its calm nature and pleasant climate, which makes it a major outlet for residents.
Clear water drawing frame
A number of farmers called for the need to develop a clear regulatory framework for drawing water from the lake in order to achieve fair distribution to all farmers and prevent its waste, stressing that preserving the lake is a shared responsibility between the official authorities and the people to protect this vital water resource and preserve its natural beauty for future generations.
They pointed to the importance of rehabilitating the lake and improving the water situation, especially after the drought that affected the region last year, which affected agricultural production, expressing their hope that the rainfall witnessed in the Syrian governorates in recent months will contribute to supporting the water situation and increasing agricultural production.
Zarzar Lake is one of the artificial lakes that rely on rainwater and torrents heading towards it for its recharge