Destroyed and cracked buildings still dominate the overall scene in Darayya (Rif Dimashq, southwestern Syria), despite a gradual return of residents since early 2025 and growing commercial activity in its streets and main neighborhoods.
Amid limited repair attempts and the reopening of shops and homes, the issue of collapse-risk buildings has emerged as one of the city’s most dangerous challenges, especially in the absence of accurate statistics and a comprehensive structural plan to address the hazards.
Local estimates suggest that around 80% of Darayya’s residential buildings suffered total or partial damage during the war years. This aligns with international assessments indicating that a large share of Syria’s housing stock was damaged or destroyed.
As the population has nearly doubled over the past year to approach 200,000 people, pressure has increased on infrastructure that has not undergone comprehensive rehabilitation, making any structural flaw a direct threat to residents.
Emergency response after reports
Mohamad al-Qattan, media officer at the Syrian Civil Defense, told Enab Baladi that search and rescue teams coordinate with local authorities in Darayya on cracked buildings by organizing evacuations, restricting movement near hazardous sites, and preventing entry to buildings threatened with collapse.
Al-Qattan said teams conduct a field inspection immediately after receiving any report of a cracked building to determine the level of risk. If a collapse risk is confirmed, residents are asked to evacuate, neighboring buildings are alerted, and a danger perimeter is marked with warning tape. Teams also work to secure basic needs for families requested to leave their homes.
He added that heavy rainfall, or any potential seismic tremors, could accelerate the collapse of damaged buildings, especially those with cracks in load-bearing columns or structural foundations.
Despite these measures, the response remains driven by individual reports, without a comprehensive engineering survey or a published database identifying where dangerous buildings are located and how severe the risk is.
No statistics, residents insist on staying
Ahmad Jaanina, the former head of Darayya’s local council, said the city lacks accurate statistics on the number of buildings that have fully collapsed or are at risk of collapse, noting that some of these buildings are still inhabited.
He pointed to a case on al-Thawra Street, where residents of a building were asked to evacuate because of its dangerous structural condition, but refused to leave and stayed inside due to the lack of alternative housing or the financial ability to relocate.
Jaanina said the municipality follows up on reports from residents or neighbors and contacts relevant bodies once a building is confirmed to be dangerous. However, it does not have a comprehensive plan or sufficient resources to address the problem at its roots, in the absence of official support or funding programs for reinforcement and repair work.
This reality reflects a gap between estimates of the scale of destruction and the reality of housing. Some families face two difficult options, evacuate with no alternative, or remain in buildings that may threaten their lives.
Working inside cracked buildings
The danger is not limited to housing, it also extends to commercial shops that have gradually resumed work.
Yahya al-Hassan, a shop owner near Shreidi Square, told Enab Baladi that he works inside a building damaged by shelling, with cracked columns and unfinished structural elements.
He said the shops are unlicensed, and the municipality has not conducted a field inspection of the building. Shop owners cover repair costs themselves, with no compensation or official follow-up.
This leaves business owners facing a difficult equation, securing a livelihood while working in an environment that may be structurally unsafe.
Civil engineer Mohammad Motaz Shakhashirou told Enab Baladi that buildings in Darayya vary by construction materials, from older mud and adobe structures, to cement block buildings, to newer multi-story reinforced concrete buildings with basements and commercial spaces.
Shakhashirou said shelling-related damage has produced different levels of risk from one building to another.
Some buildings, he explained, can be repaired with limited reinforcement, while others require engineering assessments and specialized strengthening work. Other structures are unfit for habitation due to damage to columns and foundations, making demolition and rebuilding the safest option. He noted that some residents returned to damaged homes despite the absence of structural safety conditions, to avoid rental costs. He proposed forming specialized municipal committees to inspect damaged buildings and prevent habitation until safety is confirmed, alongside establishing support mechanisms for repair work to reduce potential risks.
A building severely damaged in its main columns near Shreidi Square, 2 February 2026 (Enab Baladi)
A destroyed building near al-Khoulani Street, 12 February 2026 (Enab Baladi)
A destroyed building near Shreidi Square, 2 February 2026 (Enab Baladi)
Rain exposes fragility
At the start of 2026, rainfall accompanying a winter weather system exposed the fragility of several damaged buildings in the city.
On 1 January, a partial collapse occurred at the entrance of a residential building on al-Thawra Street after the soil became saturated with water. Rubble fell onto a parked car, causing material damage without injuries.
For a second consecutive day, Civil Defense teams carried out emergency interventions, including pumping water from the basement of Omar bin al-Khattab Mosque, securing a water tunnel that was causing leakage into nearby residential basements, and removing part of a collapse-risk structure at the end of al-Thawra Street.
These incidents underscored difficult service conditions, as rainwater drainage networks suffer from limited capacity, turning each winter system into a source of real concern, especially in neighborhoods where cracked buildings remain standing.
Rubble removal, necessary but not enough
In November 2025, the Syrian Civil Defense launched a rubble removal project in Darayya and Douma, aiming to remove at least 85,500 cubic meters of rubble, including 39,000 cubic meters in Darayya. The project also included the creation of a unit to recycle part of the debris for use in reconstruction.
While the project helps reopen roads and improve access to homes, rubble removal does not necessarily resolve the structural safety of standing buildings. Many damaged structures remain upright with weakened frames that require assessment and reinforcement, or organized demolition.
Removal efforts also face challenges, including unexploded ordnance, the distance to disposal sites, and poor road conditions, which affect the pace of work.
Tightened oversight of violations
In late December 2025, the executive office of the Darayya City Council issued Decision No. 13, mandating stricter oversight of construction violations, particularly vertical expansion on top of older buildings, and referring violators to the public prosecutor.
The decision came after several collapse incidents in different areas, including the rescue of a woman from under the rubble of a residential building that collapsed in Darayya on 26 December 2025. The incident renewed attention on the dangers of older or damaged buildings that were modified through unregulated construction.
The council has linked controlling building violations to protecting public safety, in an effort to reduce risks and prevent further collapses.
Between emergency response and lasting solutions
Taken together, these factors show that Darayya, despite signs of gradual recovery, is still living atop an exhausted urban fabric. Current interventions, from Civil Defense response efforts, to rubble removal projects, to tighter oversight of violations, are important steps, but they remain largely emergency-driven or partial.
Without a comprehensive engineering survey and a public database of hazardous buildings, risks persist. Some residents continue to live and work in cracked structures, waiting for broader solutions that balance their right to housing and work with their right to a safe environment.
With every new winter weather system or collapse incident, the question returns, can the city move from managing risk to addressing it at its roots through a clear structural plan, sustainable funding, and strict technical oversight that protects residents’ lives in the post-war phase.
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