Vast areas of agricultural land in northwestern Syria - especially along the banks of the Orontes River that runs between Idlib province and Turkey - were damaged as a result of the February 6 earthquake. In the Idlib countryside, the villages of al-Tloul, al-Jisr al-Maksour, al-Mushrafiya, al-Alani, Jakara, Dalbiya, al-Hamziya, al-Hamra and Betiya were all impacted.
The earthquake, and the aftershocks that followed, caused cracks and large craters to form in farmland. Volcanic sand rose up out of the earth. And the Orontes River - a 571-kilometer-long waterway - flooded in the days following the quake.
Crop loss
Agriculture is the main source of income for many Idlib residents. Locals grow various types of crops and fruit trees, including greengage plums, peaches and nectarines. Farmland’s proximity to the river was once a blessing, but has become a curse. The damage was concentrated on areas adjacent to the river; land further away did not experience similar cracking, but rather the temporary damage of a rise in the water level.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com
