Syrians in Idlib camps struggle to survive amid sweltering heat

IDLIB, Syria (AA) – Forcibly displaced civilians in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province are struggling to survive in makeshift tents in scorching temperatures.

The sweltering heat wave, which has turned into a global phenomenon across the world in recent days, adversely affects the lives of millions of civilians who have taken shelter in Idlib after fleeing the war by the Syrian regime and its allies.

In Idlib, where the majority of the civilians live in makeshift tents, the temperature rises up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, making the living conditions unbearable for around 4 million Syrian civilians in the region.

Struggling with the extreme temperatures, families also cannot access electricity in the region, which faces water shortage as well.

“There is no electricity, so the cooling fans do not work either. We get exhausted from the heat and are having difficult times,” said Abdurrahman Raad, who took refuge in the Azraq refugee camp near the Turkish border.

He said that civilians in Idlib expect help from non-governmental organizations and philanthropists.

“In tents covered with plastic, we cannot protect ourselves from the heat in the summer or the cold in the winter,” he said.

Mariam Sattouf, who fled the southeastern countryside of Idlib three years ago due to the intense attacks of the Syrian regime forces and Russia, said that the tents they live in are not suitable for the weather conditions of any season.

“We have to make our kids take a shower to keep them cool. The temperature is well above 40C. Imagine a life in a nylon tent,” she added.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.

According to UN estimates, hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed and millions more displaced.