DAMASCUS

 Hunger and starvation are on the rise in the now infamous Syrian town of Madaya, which has been blockaded by the Assad regime and Hezbollah militants for close to 200 days.

The people of the town, which is northwest of Damascus, have been struggling to survive. Many residents try to stay alive by ingesting salt dissolved in hot water. 

Last month, 23 people, including six children, died of starvation in Madaya, according to a report by the town’s health committee.

More than 20,000 children in the besieged town are at risk of hunger and starvation, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Friday. 

A woman in the town, who preferred to stay anonymous because of security concerns, told Anadolu Agency that she used to give her husband salty water to help him stay alive. Now, his feet are swollen and he can barely see.

Nidal Muhammed, 12, told Anadolu Agency that he had not had anything to eat for six days and water was his only source of nutrition. 

“My mother’s health condition is bad, and we cannot find milk for my brother,” Muhammed said. “We live on water.”

Another resident, Khaled Abu Fadel, said the cold weather has limited animal hunting opportunities. 

Living conditions in the town of Madaya further deteriorated as winter set in. Electricity is non-existent and many people use what is left of their destroyed homes for heating purposes, the report said.

According to local sources, food prices shot up dramatically since the regime’s blockade began. A kilogram of rice reportedly now costs around $115.

The Syrian regime had agreed to allow aid into Madaya, the UN said Thursday. 

The UN added that aid will reach Madaya in the coming days.

Apart from providing aid to Madaya, the UN will also provide assistance to two towns, Foah and Kafraya, in the Syrian province of Idlib which are besieged by rebel groups, it added.

The Syria conflict, which will enter its sixth year in early 2016, has left more than 250,000 people dead and turned the country into the world's largest source of refugees and displaced persons, according to the UN.

Nearly eight million victims are internally displaced and more than four million have fled to nearby countries since the conflict started.