According to Kurdpress, the increase in the release of water from the Atatürk Dam in Türkiye on May 22 caused widespread flooding in the northern and eastern regions of Syria. According to Syrian officials, Türkiye's late notification about the increase in the water level of the Euphrates has caused heavy damages, especially in the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.

According to Havar News Agency, as a result of the rising water level of the Euphrates River, dozens of villages, agricultural land and water pumping stations along this river were submerged. Also, part of the region's infrastructure was damaged and local institutions declared a state of alert in several regions.

According to the report of the responsible institutions, the volume of incoming water from Türkiye reached about 2,000 cubic meters per second, and the water level of the Euphrates rose by nearly three meters in a short period of time. This situation occurred while the north and east of Syria have been struggling with economic crisis, drought and the consequences of war in recent years.

Mohammad Bashir, the Minister of Energy of Syria, announced that one of the main causes of the flood was the sudden increase in the release of water by Turkey.

Deir ez-Zor was one of the areas that suffered the most damage from the flood. According to local statistics, about 2,400 families were directly affected and nearly 3,000 other families took refuge in temporary accommodation centers or their relatives' homes.

The coincidence of the flood with the beginning of the wheat and barley harvesting season caused significant economic losses to farmers. Vast lands were flooded, irrigation canals were destroyed, and some roads were cut off. Also, the three main earthen dams of the region were destroyed and the connection between the two sides of the Euphrates river was cut off in some places.

Out of a total of 211 water stations in Deir Ezzor, 62 stations are completely out of service.

The increase in Euphrates water level in Raqqa city and surrounding rural areas also caused damages. A number of houses in the villages along the river were evacuated and the water level rose rapidly in some neighborhoods.

Although the amount of damage in Raqqa is less than that of Deir ez-Zor, 15 of the total 86 water stations in this province were closed as a precaution. Also, about 150 hectares of agricultural lands in the west of Raqqa were damaged. In total, nearly 700 hectares of agricultural land in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor have been flooded.

Due to the damage to roads and some bridges, the communication of a number of villages with the surrounding areas has been cut off. Local residents have also created temporary barriers and embankments to protect residential areas.

Following the arrival of a large volume of water from Türkiye, the Euphrates Dam (Tabaqa) in Syria also reached the warning level. The officials of this dam announced that after the water storage volume exceeded 97% of the tank's capacity, the dam's water discharge valves were opened for the first time since 1988.

According to officials, the amount of water entering the Euphrates from Türkiye was one of the highest recorded in recent years. At the same time, Iraq is also on alert for the water wave in the Euphrates River.

These developments occurred a day after Ibrahim Kalin, the head of the Turkish Intelligence Organization (MET), visited Damascus and met with Ahmed al-Shora, the head of the Syrian interim government. This issue has caused the issue of opening the gates of dams in Türkiye, in addition to technical aspects, to find political and strategic dimensions as well.

In the north and east of Syria, some currents believe that the water issue is not only a technical issue and in some cases it is used as a tool to apply political pressure.

Despite the relative reduction of the danger, the Euphrates water level is still high and local authorities have warned that the effects of flooding may continue in the coming days. The residents of the affected areas have demanded the formation of damage assessment committees, the allocation of compensation funds and the rapid reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure.