Syria's Driest Winter in Nearly 7 Decades Triggers Severe Water Crisis in Damascus

There's Only a Trickle of Water Following the Driest Winter in Decades

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BARADA VALLEY: Inside a mountain above the Syrian capital, Hassan Bashi walked through tunnels that used to be filled with water from a spring famous for its pure waters.

The spring rises inside the ruins of a Roman temple in the Barada Valley and flows toward Damascus, which it has been supplying with drinking water for thousands of years. Normally, during the winter flood season, water fills all the tunnels and washes over much of the temple.

Now, there is only a trickle of water following the driest winter in decades.