Water Flow Conflicts in the Tigris and Euphrates River Basin 1 Stephanie Shewey 1 http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/13/world/20090713EUPHRATES_index.html?scp=3&sq=euphrates&st=cse 1 Water it is the World’s most valuable resource. It makes up more than 75 percent of the World’s surface area and is a part of every living organism. The human body is even made up of 70 percent of water. Water is a crucial resource and unfortunately our World’s water has been and still is neglected. Pollution, evaporation, and salinity increases are finally starting to take a toll on people and the environment. Water now under such stresses is finally starting to make people realize that this crucial resource must be taken seriously. In the Middle East water is becoming increasingly scarce. In this arid region, water is causing an increase in political hostilities. Key rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates are internationally recognized for environmental problems. Major disruptions such as high salinity concentrations, pollution and the disappearance of major waterways are impacting the everyday lives of people in the Middle East. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were home to great ancient civilizations and traced out the boundaries for the countries in the Middle East. “Few, if any, rivers exhibit such historic affinities and associations as the Euphrates and Tigris” (Trondalen 160). Throughout the past millennia, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have been home to the rise and fall of great civilizations such as the Sumerians and Babylonians. They have major roles in the Bible and they even played a dominate role in the spread of Islam. Disputes over these rivers date back as far as 6,000 years. Regrettably due to current military and political conflicts such as the Iraq-Iranian War, US coalitions, and UN intervention water scarcity has been slid under the radar. Location and Description The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow through a dry region between 45 degrees North and 25 degrees North latitude. This area is commonly referred to as the Middle East. Both rivers originate in the highlands of Turkey and have different flowing patterns. The Tigris is 1,150 miles long and begins in the 2 Taurus Mountains at the Dicle River of the Kurdistan region of eastern Turkey. The Tigris then flows southeastward along the Syrian-Turkish border and enters Iraq. As it enters Iraq it is fed from several main tributaries. The first is the Greater Zab which originates in Turkey and enters the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq. The second contributor is the Little Zab which originates in the Zagros Mountains in Iran and flows down meeting the Tigris in Fatha. The Diyala and Karkheh rivers both originate in Iran and meet the Tigris in Baghdad just before the Shatt al Arab. Most of these tributaries are fed from the melting of snowcaps accumulated in Turkey during the winter months. Even though shorter than the Euphrates the Tigris has a larger water volume input making it very prone to flooding. Tigris and Euphrates River Basin2 2 http://maps.unomaha.edu/peterson/funda/MapLinks/SWAsia/40.gif 3 The Euphrates River is 1,585 miles long and begins on the Anatolian Plateau in eastern Turkey and flows southward through Syria and Iraq. The chief tributaries are the Karasu, Murat, Munzur, and Peril which all originate in Turkey. The only large tributary outside of Turkey is Khabur which joins the Euphrates in Syria. These main tributaries are fed by underground springs south of the border between Turkey and Syria. Having so few tributaries in the distance that it travels makes it very problematic for pollution. The Euphrates River also does not carry as much water mass as the Tigris which makes it much harder to navigate. Only in a few areas can you navigate by small boat. In between the Tigris and Euphrates is an area called Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia which literally means “between the rivers” flourishes with agriculture and diverse cultures. One major distinct culture is the Marsh Arabs; a culture group that has been declining in population this past century. The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers join together approximately northwest of Basra, Iraq where the Shatt al Arab is formed and continues until it empties into the Persian Gulf. The southern end of the Shatt al Arab is the border between Iraq and Iran. During different seasons the width of the Shatt al Arab can vary from 232 meters to 800 meters. Turkey, Syria, and Iraq’s use of the Rivers The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are essential resources for economic activities in all three countries. From farming to housework these rivers help supply water to the working force. In Turkey one of the main objectives is to use the rivers for hydroelectric power. A new project called GAP, a Turkish acronym for Southern Anatolian Project, was started in the 1960s. This $30 billion project was first introduced to provide irrigation and electricity to poverty-stricken areas. This project will construct 22 new dams and 19 new hydroelectric power plants on the Euphrates River alone. This will in turn boost the economy in this region. This land which has never been intensely irrigation before will not 4 have the opportunity to use intense irrigation and agriculture techniques. With GAP, Turkey is in hopes of generating 27 GWh/ year (Gigawatt an hour/ year) and increasing land salinity by 50 percent. By generating 27 GWh/year Turkey will generate over double of what it is generating now. Another reason for GAP is to assist areas where the Kurdish separatists movement PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) resides. Supporting the southeast region financially, Turkey feels that is will help alleviate some of the pressures of the PKK. In hopes to cause turn, they hope to cause tension and political instability to decrease. GAP has cause antagonistic relations between all three countries and will be discussed more in the latter of this thesis. GAP: Southern Anatolia Project3 Syria prior to the 1950s had little use of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. After economic problems, Syria finally realized the full potential of the rivers. Today when statistically looking at Syria, 80-90 percent of their surface water comes from these rivers. “By expanding agriculture in the Euphrates basin it will help Syria reduce its dependence on imported food as well as promote agro- 3 http://www.kurdishherald.com/issue/005/images/article03-d.jpg 5 related manufacturing industries such as cotton textiles, edible oils, vegetable and fruit processing, and milk processing.4” The construction of dams on the Euphrates as well as its main tributary, Khabour, helps supply water for irrigation. Unfortunately with many efforts to increase irrigation, irrigated lands have been abandoned due to water logging and salinization. The largest dam in Syria built on the Euphrates is the Tabqa Dam. This dam not is not only important for irrigation but for energy production. In the 70s, the Tabqa Dam provided over 60 percent of Syria’s electricity. Now due to low water levels, this form of electricity is unreliable. Syria is also suffering from a large increasing urban population. This makes Syria in desperate need of a more reliable water source. The Euphrates is polluted with chemicals from agriculture, industry, and sewage making it an unreliable source of drinking water. The infrastructure and treatment plants are also a major problem when it comes to finding reliable drinking water. The infrastructure is old and due to old pipes and cracks Syria must rationalize its drinking water in large cities such as Damascus and Aleppo. Damascus, Syria’s capital frequently goes without water at night due to old water pipes. 35 percent has been estimated to be lost somewhere along these pipelines due to cracks and leaks alone. Reliable drinking water is increasingly becoming one of Syria’s top priorities. Ancient cultures, such as Sumerians and Babylonians who lived in now day Iraq, used these rivers extensively. Since Iraq is the most arid of the three countries they tend to find most of their water from these two rivers. Almost 98 percent of their total surface water comes from the Tigris and Euphrates. Due to fluctuations in water flow from seasonal and controlled factors, water storage was and still is one of Iraq’s main priorities. Before water shortages, Mesopotamian civilizations thrived with well irrigated and flood controlled structures. The first flood controlled structures were built on the Habbaniya and Abu Dibbis Lakes. In 1911 construction of the Hindiya Barrage on the Euphrates began. 4 http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA296559&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf 6 This and other barrages help collect water for irrigation. 90 percent of the water collected is used for irrigation in Iraq. During past conflicts such as the Gulf War, Iraq suffers from damages on these dams and barrages which helped protect their water supply. Some projects were stopped completely due to security reasons and the inability to collect funds to start back up. 80 percent of all planned projects have been halted since the start of the Gulf War. Since headwaters are found outside of Iraq, Iraq is at the mercy of the water conditions that exists in Syria and Turkey. “Since Iraq is located furthest downstream on the Euphrates and Tigris, all river developments undertaken in Turkey and Syria may have an impact on the water flowing into Iraq” (Trondalen 182). This makes Iraq very vulnerable to any changes these two countries make on the rivers. Iraq has many more complex problems than Turkey and Syria. Iraq is very dry and flat making it very prone to evaporation.