Suwayda families struggle to afford winter heating
Shafaq News- Damascus
Soaring fuel and firewood prices are forcing families in Syria’s mountainous Suwayda province to ration heating or turn to cheaper, potentially hazardous alternatives as winter approaches.
For Abu Nader Malih Saeed, buying diesel has become almost as expensive as buying gold. He told Shafaq News that families can afford only about 10 liters at a time, barely enough to run a single heater for two days, compared with previous winters when households routinely stocked up on an entire barrel.
Although supplies have improved, diesel remains unaffordable for many residents. Abu Ayman, a fuel station owner in Suwayda, said government deliveries had resumed after a roughly 20-day interruption, but most customers now buy small amounts in containers rather than enough fuel to last through the winter. At approximately 18,500 old Syrian pounds ($1.52) per liter, a 200-liter barrel costs 3.7 million pounds ($303).
Firewood offers little relief, with prices reaching around 4.5 million old Syrian pounds ($369) per ton and prompting residents to search nearby wooded areas for dry branches.
Among them is Mayada Jammoul, who told Shafaq News that she collects whatever wood she can find because heating her home daily has become a “luxury” her family can no longer afford.
Displaced Families Face Greater Risks
Displaced residents in shelters face even harsher conditions, with some turning to unsafe materials when conventional heating fuel is out of reach.
Um Shadi, who fled western rural Suwayda, recalled burning old clothes and plastic containers in her heater last winter, saying the fumes caused her health problems.
She fears having to endure the coming cold with blankets alone if she cannot secure a safer source of warmth.
Environmental activist Maysoun Al-Sallam also cautioned that the growing reliance on firewood could accelerate indiscriminate tree cutting, as residents search for fuel and traders seek profits, threatening Suwayda’s woodlands and vegetation cover.
Note: US dollar equivalents are calculated using the Central Bank of Syria’s official exchange rate of 12,200 old Syrian pounds per dollar.
