Drained by a decade of war, destitute families in northeastern Syria are now facing fresh misery — and a dilemma — over water.
It has become so expensive that communities are having to save scarce clean supplies for the elderly and young, leaving most people to choose between drinking dirty water and risking disease or going without and and possibly becoming malnourished, experts say.
Decrepit water systems damaged by the conflict have long forced people to rely on trucked water delivered by private firms or aid agencies, but the spike in commodity prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the situation.