A severe heatwave is sweeping through the northwestern regions of Syria, home to approximately six million people, over half of whom are displaced and living in semi-dilapidated tents, exacerbating their suffering.
According to weather forecasts, temperatures surpassed 40°C in inland areas (Idlib and Aleppo countryside) on Thursday evening, with a possibility of exceeding 42°C on Saturday, and Sunday.
The scorching weather is expected to persist for the foreseeable future.
As temperatures continue to soar, several batteries powering solar panels in displaced people’s tents exploded, causing fires inside the tents, and injuring eight civilians, including three women and two children.
Moreover, many families have resorted to dampening their blankets with water to provide some relief from the heat.
At another refugee camp sheltering around 600 displaced families near the Sarmada area in northern Idlib, residents also dampened blankets and placed them over the roofs of their plastic tents to alleviate the intense heat and blazing temperatures.
According to Abu Asaad, a 58-year-old resident of the camp, the heat is extremely intense, and everyone there is desperately seeking shade, coolness, and cold water.
“We fear connecting the solar panels to the battery during midday and running the fans, as they might explode due to the heat,” Abu Asaad told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Instead, we compensate by covering our children and grandchildren, especially the infants, with wet blankets during peak hours.”
“We also resort to digging a hole inside the tent and placing a gallon of water in it to maintain its coolness after covering it with a damp cloth,” he added.
Along the road connecting the areas of Atmeh and Salwa near the Syrian-Turkish border, dozens of families seek refuge under olive trees, escaping from their worn-out and torn tents, which have been battered by years of displacement, scorching summers, and winter winds.
These tents are no longer capable of shielding them from the blazing heat and extreme summer temperatures.
