Provision of integrated and essential WASH and Nutrition services for vulnerable population in DeZ and Raqqah Governorates Ten years of protracted conflict in Syria has led to a staggering 12.2 million in need of life-saving WASH services and 4.9 million people (1.7 million pregnant and lactating women and 3.3 million children under 59 months of age) in need of life-saving nutrition interventions in 2021.

The water level of the Euphrates River in Syria has declined since January 2021, reaching a critically low level in May 2021. The low water levels are believed to be a result of above average dry spells as well as a reduction of water flowing from Turkey to Syria. The Syrian Government reported that the Tishreen dam in Aleppo governorate received around 180 cubic meters of water per second during most of May, which represents less than half of the minimum amount of water outlined by the 1987 Syria-Turkey water sharing agreement, where at least 500 cubic meters of water per second are to be released from Turkey to Syria. Additionally, the water levels of Tabqa dam in Ar-Raqqa governorate, which is used as an emergency backup, were depleted by up to 80 percent. The water shortage crisis is concerning, given that nearly 5.5 million people in Syria rely on the Euphrates and its subsidiaries for drinking water and agriculture irrigation. Furthermore, the continued low water flow could result in loss of electricity for more than three million people as the Tishreen dam water-powered generators are shut down, negatively impacting health care and sanitation, nutrition, livelihoods, agricultural production and food security across the north-east regions of the country.

Due to the water crisis, drought and severe food insecurity status in Raqqah Governorates, acute malnutrition among children under five years is consistently increasing. According to Ministry of Health and Nutrition Sector nutrition surveillance data, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate in Government-controlled districts in Raqqah is 4.3%. Chronic malnutrition, often linked to poor Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices and maternal malnutrition, high levels of anemia among children and pregnant and lactating mothers, remains one of the major public health and development concerns in Raqqah Governorate. According to SMART survey data 2019, stunting prevalence in Government-controlled areas of Raqqah is 9%.

This nutrition component of the project addresses the immediate and mid-term nutritional needs of women and children in Raqqah. The priorities are prevention, early detection, and treatment of moderate and severe acute malnutrition. The detection of acute malnutrition will be done through weight to height measurements. The services and supplies will be delivered mainly by primary healthcare centers of Ministry of Health, through fixed health clinics and mobile teams.

MoH facilities in Raqqah have been supported by with UNICEF, they have enough quantities of measurement tools, nevertheless, UNICEF has enough stock of these items in the country in case the partner requires additional quantity. MoH facilities in Raqqah GoS areas are Sabkha, Madaan and Debsi, and provide nutrition services for childreU5 and PLW, including nutritional screening, treatment of acute malnutrition, and provision of multiple micronutrient supplementation. (The full project summary is in the attached word document)