තිස්වසරකට පෙර චීනයෙන් ගෙනා ඔක්සිජන් නිපදවන යන්ත්ර තාම වැඩ
War, sanctions disrupt manufacturing in Syria
The only oxygen plant in Syria's Hama Governorate is still operating, relying on equipment imported from China three decades ago.
In 1993, a member of a family in Hama Governorate got sick. But back then, local hospitals couldn't provide enough oxygen. So the family looked for help in northeast China's Harbin City and brought back Chinese oxygen-producing equipment. That's how the oxygen plant was started.
Since then, it has become the only oxygen-making plant in this area. Up until now, it is still playing an important role.
This is because there are many injuries during the Syrian civil war, and operations and treatment require a lot of oxygen, according to the head of the plant Youssef.
The equipment from China 30 years ago is still working today. However, Youssef said, due to sanctions, the devices cannot get the necessary upgrading they need, as the cost of importing the parts for repair is extremely high.
"Due to economic sanctions and blockade, vessels of shipping companies cannot directly reach ports of Syria. This has brought us huge troubles," said Youssef.
Since civil war broke out in 2011, much of Syria's industrial facilities and infrastructure were destroyed, including electricity, water and transportation networks. It has become increasingly difficult for entrepreneurs to obtain raw materials and industrial machinery.
Large industrial facilities have been looted by the warring parties while industrial capital has fled abroad.
Most of the workforce with expertise fleeing the country has made the situation even worse.
All these factors have led to a decline of about 43 percent in manufacturing output in 2020 compared to that of 2010.
Before the war, Syria's industrial sector could basically cover the needs of its people, and even exported medicines and food to other nations. But nowadays, there are only 432 factories running in the country, mainly producing food, clothes and detergents.
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