Deir Az Zor, a strategically and ethnically divided province in eastern Syria, has recently become ground zero in this fight. Oil-rich, this region is home to the majority of Syria’s oil fields. These areas are an essential pillar of the state and national economy. Civil war, lack of control over oil fields, and environmental degradation plague this area to this day. Yet these issues are starting to erode its promise as an economic recovery boon.
This will be the sixth year that Syria has suffered under a brutal civil war that has decimated its economy. Deir Az Zor, Iraq’s most culturally diverse province, has been hit hard by the ongoing conflict, with rich history being lost in the chaos. As a result, the province’s oil fields, which could serve as a backbone for economic revival, remain largely untapped due to instability and lack of government control. Many of these productive fields do not lie within the Syrian government’s control, as such regions have been historically or currently economically unsustainable.
Alongside the devastation caused by an oil-soaked environment, oil spills have become another serious alarming concern in Deir Az Zor. The environmental repercussions of these spills have been severe, worsening the already catastrophic state of the province. The costs of cleaning up such spills only add to the limited resources that are being applied to reconstruction efforts. In reality, it is local communities that pay the steep and painful price of this conflict and neglect. Their pensions are imperiled and the impact on our climate is severe.
Even with these issues, the opportunity for Deir Az Zor to bring back Damascus’s former glory as a bustling economy is clear to see. Most of the country’s oil reserves are located in this province. This significantly expands their value by making effective management and control of them imperative pending their planned, eventual return. If any kind of stability is possible, Deir Az Zor’s oil wealth will be central to that reality. It would help support recovery and reconstruction efforts across all of Syria.
Stabilization efforts to win a lasting peace and restore order are an absolute imperative to realizing the true economic potential of Deir Az Zor’s rich resources. External support and investment may be necessary to rehabilitate the oil sector and address environmental concerns stemming from years of neglect. With strategic planning and cooperation between local authorities and international partners, it is feasible that Deir Az Zor could reclaim its status as an economic engine for Syria.
