Water

Syria with its abundance of streams was able to provide a more than ample water supply. All the water used by the various units came originally from springs and was clear and sparkling, showing deep-blue in the first cup of the Horrocks test. However, in several localities, contamination was remotely possible from adjoining villages, and chlorination was carried out at all water points. The only water not chlorinated was that in Aleppo and Baalbek, where the supply was laid on to buildings through the town reticulation systems.

In Baalbek the water came from a series of springs in the hills 6 miles north-east of the town. The surroundings were free from habitation and cattle, and the springs themselves were concrete-covered. The water was led by a 20-centimetre pipe to a large concrete storage reservoir and from this piped to the town reticulation.

In Aleppo the source was also a series of springs, the water containing 200 B. Coli per litre. It was filtered through gravel, treated by the process of ‘Verdunisation’ (sodium hypochlorite), and pumped to a reservoir in the town from which it was reticulated.