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Alkamshle city - Syria (siraj)
Alqameshle city - Syria (siraj)

“Poison in the air”

  Mohammad Bassiki – Akhten Asaad: ALhayat newspaper In the road which lead to ALWAKALAT street in middle of commercial market in ALQAMSHLY city (north […]

 

Mohammad Bassiki – Akhten Asaad:

ALhayat newspaper

In the road which lead to ALWAKALAT street in middle of commercial market in ALQAMSHLY city (north ,east Syria ) on the right of the road there is an huge electrical generator , working by diesel (MAZOUT) yellow color, the sound of its engine full of the air , And overshadows the voices of street vendors & owner of the commercial shops inside their shops , It emits thick black smoke ,beside it a tree ,it was Full of leaves and its shadow covers the place before year 2015,but today it became dried and waiting someone to pull it out .

SALWA ,The young girl  in third decade of age, notice since a period that there are a died doves thrown on the land, in her house’s garden, and she don’t know the reason , but she attributes it to pollution in the air and to poisons which filled the sky of the city.

These poisons make the healthy status of the young ARAS HAMO (25 year) falling back day by day , by continuing on breath a polluted air from the electrical generator in the street , even inside his house , because his family depend on electrical generator , where he suffers from (Inflammation of the pharynx and scratching), and he afraid of becoming worse ,and his doctor decided to put him “under intensive examination  for treatment ” according the medical report which related in his status, dated on :1 June 2017.

According the commission of the administration and municipalities in the city , that there are 175 central electrical power generators inside the Residential neighborhoods in the city which consumed daily between 2000 to 7000 liter diesel – gasoline , with average 25-30 liter per hour , and there are 40 thousand small generators working all the time ,”so that expose ALQAMSHLY city and al HASSKEH city to extreme pollution due to from poisonous gas ” according to ROJ environmental organization  .and the Chronic respiratory & chest diseases became follow the people due to breath of Toxic gas residues from electrical generators which work by Refined fuel in a primitive way, so that quicken of appearance and spread a deadly diseases like ” Pulmonary embolism” and  ” Pulmonary cancers”.

The Necessary solution

 Residents of QAMSHLI (300 thousand people) and since stopping provide the city with regular electrical power on 2012 they are suffering, and a chest & respiratory diseases  infect them ,due to breath polluted air with poisonous & cancer gas which emits from generators , one of it : Sulfur dioxide (SO2)and Carbon monoxide(co) Hydrogen sulfur(h2s) and according to  environment experts & doctors ,these gases are “poisonous and breakdown the respiratory system .

A local newspapers and media in ALHASSAKE said that: “Isis” organizing cut the electrical power utterly on ALQAMSHLI and ALHASSAKE in general (1.5 million people ) after it is control on the main power supply source “TISHREEN dam” which located in ALPHURATE river ,west of Aleppo city on spring 2014 , where the generators became” a compulsory solution ” ,MOUAZ ABDULKAREEM the joint chief of ALQAMSHLI municipality said “the generators is a need for us due to not availability of electrics , so we bring it to provide the doctor’s clinics – pharmacies  and hospitals in electrical power since starts the war .

There is a patient in every house

Every house in the city has a patient infected with “Bronchitis or pharyngitis or allergic asthma or Shortness of breath” according to DR.SAAD EDDIN HASSO the specialist in chest & internal diseases, and Lung function tests.

The doctor which works in the hospital since 2013 until now, record daily as per his saying “large” increasing in patients attendance’s rate which” suffer from chest diseases accompanying with symptoms of cough & shortness of breath “and in some times happening a defect in sense of smell, so the patient lose the ability of distinguish between smells.

The patient ZINAB SH (fifth decade) has already going out from one of the doctor’s clinic and said that she suffers from “allergic” disease and upon her medical report, it is starts appear on her a symptoms of cough accompanying to extreme pain in the chest, and she said my status become worse with presence of electrical generators which spread in city neighborhoods, and the doctor recommended me to stay away from it, but where I go? She asked while she is going out.

ABDULRAHMAN KHALIL, chief of environment protection association in ALHASSKE enhance in declaration published in “ALPHURATE” newspaper in its number 2349 date: 11-10-2017, that what happens from breathing people these gases in his saying “the polluted emissions  from electrical generators …contain on poisons & cancer materials harmful to human being directly “

Most diseases which occur and deadly

The death which due to from respiratory diseases is form the highest rate of death in Syria in rate 16.2 % for year 2009 ,and in year 2010 the respiratory system diseases was third of the “most occur” diseases in rate 12.5 % according to Syrian ministry of health .but after year 2011 and due to of generators the rate has been increased more ,as the doctor HUSSIEN OSMAN saying ,the specialist in nose & throat diseases ,where the cancer  infections has increased in the upper air roads between 75-100 % during the last five years in ALQAMSHLI and ALHASSKE ,and he depends in this result according 75% of his coming patients these days suffer from respiratory diseases &  Chronic sinusitis.

And according to specialist doctor MIRVAT BARAZI , that people who infect in respiratory diseases are increasing ,due to pollution spreading .and she refer to lack of the medical system to reliable accurate statistic depends on it.

The third of deadly diseases

The respiratory diseases in al QAMSHLI and ALHASSKE in general, which documented by the investigation editor in documented medical reports which belong to patients, and by doctors’ testimonies and statements of health centers, it will result if the patient continues living in polluted air ,and if he has Hereditary respiratory diseases or previous, to (COPD) (chronic – obstructive pulmonary disease ) which lead to death , that during a period between 6 – 10 years “, according to the specialist doctor ,JALAL MURAD .

One of (COPD) symptoms, is a cough accompanying with Sputum secretion, and shortness of breath, according to specialized “medical web”, and what causing it “environmental & industrial air pollution, and inflammations in different kinds, and it spreading in development countries”

MURAD said “the generators smoke is increasing and quicken appearance of chronic – obstructive pulmonary cases, because the final Tracheas of the patient are injure, where is occur exchanging between oxygen & carbon, and this incurable disease.

The doctor refer to that 20% from his patients have “Allergic ground” or as it known a Genetic allergy and previous respiratory diseases, and they are according that susceptible to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), if they stay in this current polluted air, and this number apply on all ALQAMSHLI population in general, which the population of it increase currently on 300 thousand person.

That mean almost quarter of the city population are exposed to this deadly disease, and their life threatened now, while all population are exposed to respiratory diseases , he referred to that “no exist accurate statistics to the governorate in general or rest of the nearby areas about the number of sick people and their ages & distribution rate”.

The patient RADER MAHMOUD afraid, (23 years) which his family suffer from genetic respiratory diseases which is “Bronchial sensitivity” (his mother according to medical report in date 17 June 2017) from deteriorating his health to worse, so he suffers now from acute pain in the pharynx, and the doctor asked from him to keep away from pollution source promptly.

And the lady SAEDA MOHAMMAD, according to medical report on date 1(August) 2017 she is suffers from “Allergic pharyngitis” and the doctor asked from her to keep away from generators smoke, because her status will become worse, and she don’t know how she has infected, and she don’t have any choice except staying in these circumstances as she is saying.

With the doctor MURAD expectations ,the international health organization expects  in a study belong to her , the investigation editor has obtained a copy of it, and according a collected data from 193 states ,”the obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the main third cause of death in the world on year 2030″ .

The doctor MURAD Confirms the possibility of achieving the expectations of this study internationally and even in Syria ,because the criteria and the causes are available currently on the earth in ALHASSKE governorate in general , and was based on a healthy data to sates upon the medical reality of each country .

And for confront the disease and other respiratory diseases; the international health organization formed an alliance under a name “Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory diseases”(GARD) and officially released on 28 March – 2006 in Chinese capital, Beijing.

The investigation editor has connected with professor, YOUSER MOHAMMAD, the coordinator of alliance (GARD) in Syrian, and he admitted in existence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, where his team which working in the Syrian government controlled area has examined  cases of Syrians displaced from areas of “ISIS” organization  control in east & north the country , they has came to governmental hospitals in Damascus ,and they are suffer from Waste of air pollution and has diagnosed many infected cases in the disease, and cases for women have infected in cancer of lung and they are non smoking under age of 50 years.

But the professor refused to provides any numbers of numbers of the sick people monthly or annually.

A new international study has published by “REUTERS” on 20 October 2017, is linking between the rate of death around the world and air pollution, where the pollution is related in 9 million death case on 2015.

And by a study, “most of deaths are cause from air pollution diseases like heart diseases – heart attack and lung cancer “.and the polluted of air is from different reasons from transportations – industrial production and the fire which used in heating, was the biggest cause of death which lead to 6.5 million death cases.

Generators in Al kamishli (siraj)

 

Lack of equipment impedes diagnosis

According to what professor MOHAMMED say:

Lack of medical equipment impedes diagnosis of chest and respiratory diseases like chronic pulmonary obstruction; on the other hand many “health centers had stopped working in areas of conflict”, at a time” the program began providing support like inhalation devices and other for some of health centers in cooperation with the Syrian ministry of health”, and while the reasons of disease sounds known, but its results anonymous on population, and the doctor (NILSE.BILLO) of World health organization says “the alliance until now didn`t search for the effects of the war on the health of respiratory system in Syria”. He considered that “air pollution and smoking cause chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD)”.

He suggested on local communities in Syria, working to limit the risks of chronic respiratory system diseases, and chronic pulmonary obstruction disease and lung cancer depending on strategies to increase the usage of clean energies.

Acute shortage in the number of doctors

The Investigation editor in ALQAMISHLI has counted presence of clinics for 6 specialties chest surgery doctors, 9 doctors their specialties of ear –nose and throat and they supervise on the treatment of 300000 people and it is the number of city population according to unofficial numbers of the city’s doctors source, after the last official statistics in 2007 which mentioned the number of ALQAMISHLI population which was 88 thousand people.

ABEAR HASSAF the joint head of health commission which affiliate to self administration in ALHASSAKE (ALJAZERA territory) there is another kind of their suffering as a responsible medical commission and she says “we suffer from continuous emigration of specialist doctors and shortage of cadres, we fear on the long period of time from fetal distortions and emergence of malignant tumors”.

According to approved numbers of the world health organization and which published on the website of” the official international bank” about proportion of doctors and nurses with number of population , it shows that in Syria for the year of 2014 ,1.55 doctor per 1000 citizen, but in ALQAMISHLI and around it , it shows acute shortage of numbers of specialist doctors in chronic pectoral respiratory diseases ,where the number of doctors clinics  doesn`t exceed 15 clinics , only 10 of them are  doctors of pectoral and respiratory, they are treating  250-300 thousand citizen , according to the specialist doctor JALAL MURAD , one doctor  for treating 20 thousand patient.

The most dangerous gas

The annually report of ” ROJ “for environment protection for year 2015 is estimates the number of “diesel engines  ” which used for generating the power in ALQAMSHLI more about 100 generator which provide the houses with electric power , in working hours rate between (8-10) hours daily . Where there are more than 40 thousand generators which working by diesel & gasoline all the time.

And JANAR KHALAF, the specialist in the environment sciences is seeing that gases of “hydrogen sulfate” and Sulfur dioxide (Co2) and “Carbon monoxide”(CO) are dangerous, but the last gas is considered the most dangerous because of relating it with hemoglobin of the Blood in a high rate from link ratio the oxygen with Blood hemoglobin.

The danger includes everyone

Sulfate dioxide ,is a chemical compound has a formula so2 , is produce naturally from volcano and industrially from many of industrial possesses and from burning the Petroleum products which contain the sulfate compounds.

The municipalities & environment commission which affiliate to the self administration in ALQAMSHLI area and Aljazeera territory in general is imposes conditions to anyone wants to possess a big electrical generator in a neighborhood or street , and it is :the generator must be away from the general gardens – schools and congestion’s Places, and should be equipped with filters and exhausts for the sound ,as of saying the engineer ALAN MOHAMMAD ,the administrative man in the municipalities & environment commission .but 10 central generators from 175 distributed  generators in the city and countryside which has examined by the investigation editor and which has shown  breaching of these conditions ,which are located in central congestion markets and neighborhoods and daily passing beside it of  women & children and it is emitting from it noise and smoke and does not achieve the criteria and mentioned  conditions.

According to Mohamed, during the two years 2016-2017, teams of commission monitored two owners of central generators, after giving them warnings under the pretext of technical conditions infraction, with estimated fine 50 thousand Syrian bounds ($100).

Technical Specifications don’t require from generators owners to put their generators away from residential areas in a certain number of meters as a separative space, and leave it up to environment administration and its detection committees, to keep the distance of generators away from residential areas as much as possible, but according to some citizens this gap allow to many generators owners, to put their generators in the Center of markets and alleys. Big generators are used in residential areas and its price between 3 to 4 million Syrian bounds ($ 6000-8000-800 Ampere), we can say that 4 Ampere of electricity access to 200 houses daily and they are non-hidden generators of sound or smoke.

 Every living in ALQAMSHLY and ALHASSKE in general has to leave the generators to conserve the residents health or continue in situation as it is because the needing to electricity , but a  gleam of hope talking about it the official in environmental management ,ALAN MOHAMMAD about a coordination with power commission to follow up the maintenance of high voltage line KBA230 which  connects between the ALTABKA dam at east and ALHASSKE at west ,hoping to obtain the electrical power in natural way , And get rid of the current situation.

Doctor JALAL MURAD is saying that” the patients now don’t benefit from anything of treatment but on the contrary, their numbers are increasing, and the danger inclusive all … the pregnant women, aged people – children which they have another disease “.

This story has been made by syrian investigative reporting for accountability journalism – SIRAJ 


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