Euphrates River Basin
Chapter 1 Euphrates River Basin INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA (ONLINE VERSION) How to cite UN-ESCWA and BGR (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe). 2013. Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia. Beirut. CHAPTER 1 - EUPHRATES RIVER BASIN Euphrates River Basin The Euphrates at the syrian-Turkish border, syria, 2009. source: adel samara. eXecutiVe suMMarY The Euphrates River is the longest river in last 70 years show a negative trend, indicating a Western asia. The river has three riparian decrease in mean annual flow to about 25 Bcm. countries, Iraq, syria and Turkey, and its basin The regulation of the Euphrates River is an is distributed among five countries with a total extreme example of how human intervention can estimated population of 23 million. impact a river regime. With the construction of most of the Euphrates stream-flow originates large water engineering structures in upstream from precipitation in the armenian Highlands; Turkey and syria, the Euphrates flow regime contributions by the remaining riparian has shifted towards less pronounced seasonal countries are generally small. In addition to variation. some intermittent streams, the sajur, Balikh Water use in the Euphrates Basin in Iraq, syria and Khabour are the main contributors to and Turkey focuses on irrigation, hydropower Euphrates flow in syria. and drinking water supply, with agriculture Historically, the natural annual flow of the consuming the largest share of water (more Euphrates at the syrian-Turkish border was than 70%). around 30 Bcm. However, data records over the 48 INVENTORY OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA - PART I as a result, water quality has become a serious basin Facts issue on the Euphrates River: return flows from agricultural drainage cause salinity problems riParian COUNTRIES Iraq, syria, Turkey that are exacerbated along the river course.
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