LONDON: Authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic made two water pumping stations operational on Thursday, officials said, to help improve drinking water supplies for around 2 million people in the Damascus countryside.

The General Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation in Damascus, in cooperation with Syrian Civil Defense, has also restored 28 wells around the two pumping stations and installed booster pumps to provide water for the residents of Ashrafieh Sahnaya, Al-Kiswah, Al-Barda, Al-Salam suburb, Jaramana, Al-Qazzaz, and parts of southern Damascus.

Water and electricity networks were among various vital sectors in Syria that were damaged in the country’s civil war between 2011 and 2024.

The Saudi aid agency KSrelief, which supports Syrian communities with food, shelter, and medical supplies, has funded the water project, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

A report by Doctors Without Borders warned in September that millions in Syria remain without access to reliable water systems and are at risk of the spread of disease. Around 15.6 million people still require humanitarian assistance, nearly two years after political change swept the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.