Ecology Report: Clashes have Polluted Water

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Mesopotamia Ecology Movement has reported ecological damage created by clashes over their talks in areas under curfew.

In the talks conducted with 800 families between the dates of October 24-November 10, 2015, those who do animal husbandry explained they incurred heavy losses.

The report states that these people couldn’t go to their agricultural lands established near their houses and couldn’t harvest.

Animals affected as well

The report determined that animals too have been affected by the conflict. The animals have been left without care since people abandoned or couldn’t leave their houses.

Shrapnel pieces hit animals, gases and bullets left them dead.

The animals in highlands had to be left in pastures as those lands have been declared special security zone and bombed. Some animals died due to bombings.

Beekeeping has come to a halt.

Forest fires have broken out because of the bombings, some of the animals living in the forest killed.

Water issue

The report included the following information.

“Clean water networks and dirty water networks exploded in areas under curfew, and that clean water is mixed with dirty water and [people] expressed that they experience huge difficulties in terms of drinking water”.

Disease

“Diseases stemming from clashes and ammunition used such as copd, shortness of breath, etc. have excessively appeared. Inflammatory diseases started to be seen in children in Dargeçit, Nusaybin, Yüksekova, and Cizre.

Mental health of children

“[They] expressed that children exposed to booms, and announcements from police vehicles have developed behaviors such as anxiety, fear, crying, insomnia, etc.

“Some families stated that they had to tie their children to certain stable points to prevent them from going outside.

“It is seen that the ammunition used in the clashes are collected by children and used as game material. It is stated that this will have negative impacts on children in future”. (YY/TK)