Poverty Increasing in Northeastern Province

Tens of thousands of Syrians in the northeastern provinces of the country live under the international poverty line, said an official study published on July 21 by the pro-government website Syrian News Station.



Around 22,000 people in the villages of the governorate of Deir ez-Zor – which has a population of more than one million people and is the second largest province after Homs - live with less than one dollar a day, according to the study carried out by the province’s department of planning.



The study showed that unemployment has increased recently to affect 70 per cent of the people in the area and that in some villages as many as 68 per cent were illiterate, the article said.



The situation in this province has deteriorated because of the recent three-year drought that led many farmers to abandon work on the land, the article added.



It also pointed to other factors that make living conditions very difficult in the province, mainly the poor infrastructure - from roads and water pipes to power and telephone networks as well as the lack of adequate medical services.



The deterioration in living conditions has pushed many people to leave or think of leaving the area, the article said.