Water Dispute Triggers Drought Disaster on Euphrates River
Transnational water conflicts lurk on the Euphrates River. Climate change, war and agricultural expansion have resulted in prolonged droughts.
Water Dispute Triggers Drought Disaster on Euphrates River
Transnational water conflicts lurk on the Euphrates River. Climate change, war and agricultural expansion have resulted in prolonged droughts. Turkey has been accused of shutting off water for Syria for political reasons. Every spring, the water of the Euphrates River usually overflows into the olive grove belonging to Khaled al-Khamees, a resident of Rumaylah village in Aleppo province, Syria. But these days, the ancient river just swerves in the distance. The trees withered. Drinking water is getting scarce. "It was as if we were living in the desert," the 50-year-old farmer said above his garden by the river. "We were thinking of leaving because there is no more water to drink or to irrigate these trees," he said. Aid organizations and environmental groups have warned of the catastrophe of water scarcity plaguing northeastern Syria. The flow of water is reduced by the damage to infrastructure caused by the protracted war. The water level in a number of hydroelectric…
