Turkish air strikes in drought-stricken northeast Syria have severely disrupted access to electricity and water for over a million people, intensifying a dire humanitarian crisis.

According to data from the BBC World Service, more than 100 attacks between October 2019 and January 2024 have targeted oil fields, gas facilities, and power infrastructure in the Kurdish-held Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

The strikes have compounded the effects of Syria’s ongoing civil war and four years of severe drought, exacerbated by climate change.

Electricity outages have shut down the Alouk water station since October 2023, forcing residents in Hassakeh province to rely on water deliveries from 20 kilometers away.

Despite hundreds of daily tanker deliveries, there remains a severe shortage, with residents often desperate and fighting over supplies.

Turkey stated it was attacking the financial and operational resources of Kurdish separatist groups, whom it considers terrorists, but accused poor water management by AANES of worsening the crisis.

Meanwhile, experts suggest that the strikes may constitute violations of international law, given their devastating impact on civilians.