- Title: Syrians prepare for harsh winter amid shortages
- Date: 7th December 2016
- Summary: HOULA, NORTHERN HOMS PROVINCE, SYRIA (DECEMBER 4, 2016) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) STREET / STYROFOAM BOXES WITH VARIOUS PRICES OF FUEL WRITTEN ON THEM MAN SITTING NEAR GAS HEATER VARIOUS OF SYRIAN MEN POURING GASOLINE INTO DIFFERENT VESSELS RESIDENT OF HOULA, HASSAN AKESH, PUSHING A TYRE INTO HIS GARDEN AKESH CUTTING UP THE TYRE / CHILDREN PLAYING ON SWING AKESH CUTTING UP TYRE TO BURN FOR HEAT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF HOULA, HASSAN AKESH, SAYING: "We are in the northern province of Homs, in Houla, which is a besieged area. We are at the gates of winter so we are preparing for the cold. But heating oil is sparse, and fuels in general are not readily available. If they are available then they are quite expensive, a litre of heating oil is around 600 (Syrian Pounds) ($3) and gasoline is hard to get." AKESH CUTTING UP TYRES VARIOUS OF HOULA RESIDENT, BASSAM SAYED, CUTTING UP WOODEN LOGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF HOULA, BASSAM SAYED, SAYING: "Every summer we prepare for winter, we have been doing this for the past six years because of the high price of fuel, so we start preparing in the summer for winter. All we have is paper, these logs and some cardboard, everything is expensive. When it first rained the roads become blocked and not easy to travel, we are besieged, so all we have are these logs, we start collecting them two months before winter starts." LOGS ON THE GROUND SAYED PACKING LOGS INTO A LARGE BAG MAN PACKING DRY MANURE FUEL VARIOUS OF MANURE FUEL HOULA RESIDENT, UM MOHAMMED, PLACING DRY MANURE IN CONTAINER UM MOHAMMED PLACING DRY MANURE IN CONTAINER / CHILDREN NEARBY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HOULA RESIDENT, UM MOHAMMED, SAYING: "We are making dry manure disks for the winter because heating oil is very expensive and there is no one to help us out. But thank god, we are mixing hay with cow faeces and packing them into disks using our hands, we then leave them to dry and use them during winter." VARIOUS OF MAN SHOVELLING DIRT
- Embargoed: 22nd December 2016 10:05
- Keywords: Syria war winter shortages
- Location: HOULA, SYRIA
- City: HOULA, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Reuters ID: LVA0015BVTQVP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:In the Syrian town of Houla, residents are doing all they can so as not to be left out in the cold.
But this is a besieged area in a war ravaged country, where basic necessities including food, medical supplies and fuel are in short supply.
The village, located in the northern province of Homs, has been besieged for around four years, with only a trickle of aid reaching the town.
Shortages have forced residents to find alternative sources of fuel to keep them warm during the cold winter days.
One man, Hassan Akesh, is cutting up old tyres to burn for heat.
"We are in the northern province of Homs, in Houla, which is a besieged area. We are at the gates of winter so we are preparing for the cold. But heating oil is sparse, and fuels in general are not readily available. If they are available then they are quite expensive, a litre of heating oil is around 600 (Syrian Pounds) ($3) and gasoline is hard to get," he said.
Another resident of the town, Bassam Sayed, said he began collecting fuel alternatives two months ahead of winter.
"All we have is paper, these logs and some cardboard, everything is expensive," he said.
But even wood has become a luxury, with the price of a tonne reaching 100,000 Syrian Pounds (around $460).
These are desperate times and prices have driven one woman, Um Mohammed, to use manure.
"We are making dry manure disks for the winter because heating oil is very expensive and there is no one to help us out. But thank god, we are mixing hay with cow faces and packing them into disks using our hands, we then leave them to try and use them during winter," she said.
The United Nations, Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent have repeatedly called for more regular access into besieged areas across Syria.
The most recent aid delivery into Houla took place in March, when aid convoys reached more than 70,000 residents in the town. But the stocks soon ran out, leaving Syrians in the area to fend for themselves. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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