Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. Description of the Event Date when the trigger was met 08-08-2025 What happened, where and when? Since the launch of this DREF operation in August 2025, the humanitarian situation in Syria has remained highly complex, with the impacts of severe drought continuing to interact with economic decline, deteriorating public infrastructure, prolonged pressure on basic services, and increasing climate-related hazards. Although parts of the country experienced localized improvements in rainfall during the 2025/2026 rainy season and severe flooding affected sections of the Euphrates Basin between May and June 2026, these events were insufficient to reverse the cumulative impacts of consecutive years of below-average rainfall, depleted groundwater reserves, and years of underinvestment in water infrastructure. Consequently, water insecurity remains a critical humanitarian concern across many governorates. Throughout the implementation period, water and sanitation services continued to face significant operational challenges. Ageing infrastructure, persistent electricity shortages, limited financial and institutional capacity, rising operational costs, and shortages of essential equipment and spare parts have constrained the ability of water establishments to adequately operate and maintain critical water systems. These factors continue to reduce service reliability and place additional pressure on already fragile water supply networks. Despite localized rainfall and flood events, the underlying structural drivers of water insecurity remain largely unchanged. Groundwater resources continue to experience increasing pressure due to unsustainable abstraction and unregulated well drilling in some areas, while high levels of non-revenue water resulting from ageing distribution networks and inefficient irrigation practices continue to increase demand on already stressed water resources. These pressures have further reduced the resilience of local water systems and, in some communities, have contributed to increased competition over limited water resources, affecting access to safe and reliable water supplies for vulnerable populations. Between May and June 2026, flooding along the Euphrates River affected Ar-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor governorates, damaging water stations, irrigation infrastructure, and transport routes. While the floods temporarily increased surface water availability in some locations, they also disrupted water services and caused additional damage to critical WASH infrastructure. The simultaneous occurrence of prolonged drought impacts in many parts of the country and flood-related damage in others illustrates the growing variability of climate-related hazards and the increasing vulnerability of Syria’s water resources and water service infrastructure. These evolving conditions demonstrate that improving water security requires not only responding to climate-related emergencies but also strengthening the resilience of essential water systems. These evolving conditions demonstrate that improving water security requires strengthening the resilience of essential water systems through more efficient water resource management, reduced water losses, and sustainable management of available water resources, supported by community participation. Such measures are essential to sustain safe drinking water services, reduce humanitarian risks, and enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities to future climate related shocks. Communities across Syria remain highly vulnerable to both slow-onset hazards, such as drought, and sudden climate-related events. These overlapping risks continue to undermine reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, reinforcing the need for sustained humanitarian interventions that strengthen essential WASH infrastructure and improve the resilience of affected communities.
Syrian Arab Republic Drought 2025 – DREF Operational Update (MDRSY017)
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