Syrian Arab Republic: Aleppo Situation Report No. 15 (4 February 2017) [EN/AR]

Highlights

• Humanitarian organizations continue to respond to the needs of 52,088 people displaced from east Aleppo registered in west Aleppo and to 81,725 people registered in east Aleppo neighborhoods.

• All of former east Aleppo city has now become accessible, however reports of unexploded ordinances and remnants of war in the area continue to hinder access and delivery of humanitarian assistance to some areas.

• The United Nations is gravely concerned with the fact that since 14 January, an estimated 1.8 million people in Aleppo city and rural eastern Aleppo remain cut off from their main source of water which is under ISIS control.

• UNICEF continues to supply fuel to operate 100 deep wells, and is supporting emergency water trucking— reaching nearly 1 million people in need of water assistance.

Situational Overview

The security situation in Aleppo city remains relatively calm and access to people in need continues to improve. During the reporting period, humanitarian organizations continued to respond to the needs of 46,937 people displaced from east Aleppo registered in west Aleppo and to 81,725 people registered in east Aleppo neighborhoods.

All areas of former east Aleppo city have now become accessible to humanitarians according to a recent UN security assessment. However, unverified reports of unexploded ordinances and remnants of war continue to hinder the UN’s ability to assess needs and deliver humanitarian assistance in some areas. On 3 February, an unexploded ordnance detonated while children were playing in its vicinity resulting in the death of three children. Movement in and to the neighborhoods is only recommended through main roads and rubble has yet to cleared in some neighborhoods. Kurdish-held neighborhoods in the north of Aleppo, such as Youth Housing, Sheikh Maqsoud, Bostan Bash, Ba'aiedin, Trab Al-Hellok, Haydariyeh, Sheikh, Kheder, Sheikh Fares, Ayn At-Tal are still difficult to access. On 29 January, the WFP representative and Aleppo UN staff members were able to visit Sheikh Maqsoud in a joint visit with SARC.

Since 14 January, an estimated 1.8 million people in Aleppo city and rural eastern Aleppo (mainly Manbij and AlBab) remain cut off from their main source of water due to a technical issue at the Al Khafseh water station which is in ISIL-controlled territory. UNICEF continues to supply fuel to operate 100 deep wells, and is supporting emergency water trucking at a daily rate of 6,000-8,000 cubic meters—reaching nearly 1 million people in need of water assistance. In addition, ICRC, SARC and other humanitarian organizations are providing maintenance work on at least 122 wells, and are providing additional water trucking services.

Western neighborhoods such as Hamdaniya 3000, New Aleppo, Al Zahraa, Saad Allah Square and Salah el Deen, remain vulnerable due to military activities. During the week of 22-28 January, 33 mortar attacks were reported in western neighborhoods, and in the south-east clashes between Government of Syria forces and ISIL have been reported.