afrinpost
Our reporter stated that, as of Saturday 3/7/2021, the Turkish authorities opened the drainage gates in the Maidanki Dam by 20 cm, in order for the water to flow in the channels that transport water to Reyhanli Dam in the Turkish state of Hatay.
The reporter added that the Turkish authorities intend to fill Reyhanli Dam lake with about 32 million m3, and they had drawn about 75 million m3 of water from Maidanki Lake last year, which is equivalent to about 40% of the entire lake reserve.
It is noteworthy that audio recordings were circulated through the WhatsApp application rooms on Wednesday 30/06/2021 by the Turkish-backed militiamen and the village mayors in Afrin region, stating that the drainage gates were opened in Maidanki Lake and water is pumped from it, and they protested that the procedure is part of maintenance work, as well as residents were warned not to approach the banks of the river. However, the real goal is to fill the Reyhanli Dam with water from Maidanki lake.
It was noteworthy that the warning was issued by the armed militias affiliated with Turkey, and the mayors were notified, while the relevant institutions and the competent administrative authorities responsible for the management of Maidanki Dam, not even the local councils in the city of Afrin and Sharan sub-district, did not issue any official indication in any way to mention the possibility of pumping water.
The Afrin River is partly fed by springs in the Turkish territory (Sabun Soi) by 40%, while it is fed by springs within the Syrian territory by 60%. On 6/11/2021, it was announced that a dam was inaugurated in the name of “Afrin Al-A’la” in the Turkish state of Kilis. Erdogan said, at the inauguration ceremony, in which he participated via video conference: “The dam’s storage capacity is 38 million cubic meters, of water, which makes it of great importance, especially at a time when the country is experiencing a drought crisis. He pointed out that with the completion of the drinking water transmission lines to Kilis, 19 m3 of water will be provided annually, which will make the city get rid of the water crisis completely.
On January 14, 2020, the Turkish authorities inaugurated a water canal from Maidanki Dam to a dam it erected in Reyhanli, Hatay State, under the title “a dream of 50 years come true” Turkish media affiliated with the Justice and Development Party published a report on the opening of the dam, and it dragged Afrin water to irrigate the lands of Reyhanli, and said that it will provide 20 million cubic meters of water.
According to this policy, the Turkish occupation authorities have completed controlling the water flow of the Afrin River, whether the tributary that originates from Turkish territory, or the springs that feed it in the Afrin region inside Syrian territory.
It is noteworthy that the Maidanki Dam lake has a capacity of 190 million m3, used to irrigate about 30,000 hectares of agricultural land and provide 15 million m3 of drinking water.
