DOCSLIB.ORG

Trends and Future Challenges of Water Resources in the Tigris

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trends and Future Challenges of Water Resources in the Tigris Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Open Access Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 10, 14617–14644, 2013 Hydrology and www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/10/14617/2013/ Earth System doi:10.5194/hessd-10-14617-2013 HESSD © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Sciences Discussions 10, 14617–14644, 2013 This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Trends and future Sciences (HESS). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in HESS if available. challenges of water resources Trends and future challenges of water I. E. Issa et al. resources in the Tigris–Euphrates Rivers basin in Iraq Title Page Abstract Introduction 1,2 1 3 1 I. E. Issa , N. A. Al-Ansari , G. Sherwany , and S. Knutsson Conclusions References 1 Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Tables Figures Technology, Lulea, Sweden 2University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq 3Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research – KRG, Erbil, Iraq J I Received: 12 November 2013 – Accepted: 13 November 2013 – Published: 3 December 2013 J I Correspondence to: N. A. Al-Ansari ([email protected]) and I. E. Issa ([email protected]) Back Close Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. Full Screen / Esc Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 14617 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract HESSD Iraq is one of the riparian countries within basins of Tigris–Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East region. The region is currently facing water shortage problems due to the 10, 14617–14644, 2013 increase of the demand and climate changes. In the present study, average monthly 5 water flow measurements for 15 stream flow gaging stations within basins of these Trends and future rivers in Iraq with population growth rate data in some of its part were used to evalu- challenges of water ate the reality of the current situation and future challenges of water availability and resources demand in Iraq. The results showed that Iraq receives annually 70.29 km3 of wa- ter 45.4 and 25.52 km3 from River Tigris and Euphrates respectively. An amount of I. E. Issa et al. 3 10 18.04 km is supplied by its tributaries inside Iraq. The whole amount of water in the Euphrates Rivers comes outside the Iraqi borders. Annual decrease of the water inflow is 0.1335 km3 yr−1 for Tigris and 0.245 km3 yr−1 for Euphrates. This implies the annual Title Page percentage reduction of inflow rates for the two rivers is 0.294 and 0.960 % respec- Abstract Introduction tively. Iraq consumes annually 88.89 % (63.05 km3) of incoming water from the two 15 rivers, where about 60.43 and 39.57 % are from Rivers Tigris and Euphrates respec- Conclusions References tively. Water demand increases annually by 0.896 km3; of which 0.5271 and 0.475 km3 Tables Figures within Tigris and Euphrates basins respectively. The average water demand in 2020 will increase to 42.844 km3 yr−1 for Tigris basin and for Euphrates 29.225 km3 yr−1 (total 72.069 km3 yr−1), while water availability will decrease to 63.46 km3 yr−1. This means J I 3 20 that the overall water shortage will be restricted to 8.61 km . J I Back Close 1 Introduction Full Screen / Esc Scarcity of water resources in the Middle East is one of the most important problems since the last century due to the increase of the demand and climate changes (Naff, Printer-friendly Version 1994; Al-Ansari, 1998; Altinbilek, 2004; Word Bank, 2006; Droogers et al., 2012; Voss Interactive Discussion 25 et al., 2013). Historically, water had played a vital role at the dawn of the first civilization in the life of human kind. The first development of water resources and land goes back 14618 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | to the beginning of 5500 BC in the basin of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers known as the Mesopotamian. The Sumerians and Babylonians used water of Euphrates River to HESSD irrigate their fields and cities by systems of canals (Altinbilek, 2004). 10, 14617–14644, 2013 Iraq started in 1950 planning for the construction of irrigation and flood control sys- 5 tems by the Board of Development created by the Kingdom of Iraq. Primarily; it was to protect Baghdad, the capital, and other major cities from flooding. The first big dam Trends and future (Dokan) was constructed in 1959 on the Lesser Zab River. This was followed by the challenges of water construction of other projects where many dams were constructed for irrigation and resources power generation purposes. In addition, a system was established on the River Eu- I. E. Issa et al. 10 phrates to control its flood. This system includes Ramadi barrage and the Habbaniye Lake. Other systems on the Tigris River included regulators, canal systems, Lake Tharthar project and the Samarra dam were constructed (UNEP, 2001; Iraqi Ministry of Title Page Water Resources, 2013). In the modern history, Iraq until 1970s was considered rich in its water resources due Abstract Introduction 15 to the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In mid-seventies Syria and Turkey started to build dams on the Euphrates River therefore, its flow decreased due to water Conclusions References impounding of some of the new reservoirs (Al-Ansari and Knutsson, 2011; Al-Ansari, Tables Figures 2013). This fact forced the Iraqi Government to speed up building as much as they can from the planned hydrological projects. For this reason, 1970 to 1990 was the best J I 20 period of the development of Iraq’s water systems. The process stopped in 1990 due to the first Gulf War and UN sanctions. Through the last fifty years period, from 1960 J I to the end of the twentieth century, there was a change in the supply and demand Back Close situation. Table 1 summarizes the hydraulic structures on the Tigris–Euphrates Rivers. In 1977, the Turkish Government started to utilize the water of the Tigris and Eu- Full Screen / Esc 25 phrates Rivers through the South-eastern Anatolia Project (GAP). The project includes 2 22 multipurpose dams and 19 hydraulic power plants which are to irrigate 17 103 km of Printer-friendly Version land with a total storage capacity of 100 km3 which is three times more than the overall capacity of Iraq and Syrian reservoirs (Al-Ansari and Knutsson, 2011; Al-Ansari, 2013). Interactive Discussion Eight of these dams are to be constructed on the River Tigris, only three were built (two 14619 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | in 1997 and one in 1998). The irrigation projects within the GAP will consume about 22.5 km3 of water per year after completion (Altinbilek, 2004; Al-Ansari and Knutsson, HESSD 2011; Al-Ansari, 2013). 10, 14617–14644, 2013 In addition, recent studies indicated that there will be more increase in the water de- 5 mand in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region). In 2050, water demand will reach up to 393 km3 of water per year. This indicates that the water shortage will be Trends and future 193 km3 yr−1 of which 22 % due to climate change and 78 % to changes in population challenges of water growth and economic development factors (Droogers et al., 2012). Furthermore, the resources studies on the Tigris–Euphrates Western Iran region show a total groundwater loss of 3 I. E. Issa et al. 10 nearly 144 km during 2003 to 2009 (Voss et al., 2013). The reduction of flow in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq is considered to be a national crisis and will have severe negative consequences on health, environmental, industrial and economic de- Title Page velopment (Altinbilek, 2004; Al-Ansari and Knutsson, 2011; Voss et al., 2013). In view of the above, it became necessary to know the water resources trends in the Tigris– Abstract Introduction 15 Euphrates rivers basin within Iraq. In the present study the current and future water situation (availability and demand) was evaluated using a new method. The method Conclusions References applied for that purpose was the use of monthly water discharges measurements for Tables Figures 15 stream flow gaging stations on the Tigris–Euphrates Rivers inside Iraq. Population growth data with annual water consumption per capita were used for the southern re- J I 20 gion of Iraq beyond the gaging stations. The water discharge measurements were used in the calculations due to the fact that it takes into consideration the water consumption J I due to different uses, infiltration and evaporation loses as well. Back Close Full Screen / Esc 2 Study area 2.1 Hydrology of Tigris–Euphrates Rivers basins Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 25 The Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers are the two important and greatest rivers of west- ern Asia. The rivers originate from the same region in Turkey about 30 km from each 14620 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | other. The region is characterized by its cool and humid climate with a rugged land of high mountains and deep gorges. From there, the two rivers flow separately onto HESSD a wide, flat, hot, and poorly drained plain. In their middle path, the twin Rivers diverge 10, 14617–14644, 2013 hundreds of kilometres apart and join together near Qarmat Ali about 160 km above the 5 head of the Gulf, forming the Shatt al-Arab (Fig. 1). The upper basin of the rivers is char- acterized by the rock and mountain gorges of Anatolia and the high plateaux of Syria Trends and future and Iraq.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Case Study of Mugger Crocodile
    International Scholars Journals African Journal of Geography and Regional Planning ISSN 3627-8945 Vol. 7 (4), pp. 001-007, April, 2020. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. Full Length Research Paper Eco-tourism necessity to preserve and maintain endangered species: A case study of mugger crocodile Ali Khaksari Rafsanjani and Mehrdad Karami* Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Allameh Tabataba'i, Shari'ati.Al, Ghol Nabi Avenue, Tehran, Iran. Postal Code: 1544915113 Accepted 28 September, 2019 The geographical study of Iran and the feasibility study of tourism attractions in the country indicated that "eco-tourism" is an apt and unique, but neglected economic resource. Protection of habitation areas is one of the main bases of eco-tourism. In the present research, we investigated the role of eco-tourism to preserve and maintain an animal on the verge of extinction [the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)]. It is hoped that the Iranian and global environment authorities take the issue into consideration to strive for the preservation of this unique species. This research aims at the development and application of the endangered species in eco-tourism and is based upon deep interviews with the local environment authorities and fields visits. The results indicated that Bahukalat (Gando) protected area, which enjoys national and international attractions, such as the mugger crocodile (C. palustris), Oman sea coast and Gwadar Bay and regional attractions like Bahukalat river, specific customs, local foods and handicrafts, has major importance in regard to tourism development, specially eco-tourism. Key words: Bahukalat (Gando) protected area, endangered species, the mugger crocodile, tourism, eco-tourism.
    [Show full text]
  • Rare Birds in Iran in the Late 1960S and 1970S
    Podoces, 2008, 3(1/2): 1–30 Rare Birds in Iran in the Late 1960s and 1970s DEREK A. SCOTT Castletownbere Post Office, Castletownbere, Co. Cork, Ireland. Email: [email protected] Received 26 July 2008; accepted 14 September 2008 Abstract: The 12-year period from 1967 to 1978 was a period of intense ornithological activity in Iran. The Ornithology Unit in the Department of the Environment carried out numerous surveys throughout the country; several important international ornithological expeditions visited Iran and subsequently published their findings, and a number of resident and visiting bird-watchers kept detailed records of their observations and submitted these to the Ornithology Unit. These activities added greatly to our knowledge of the status and distribution of birds in Iran, and produced many records of birds which had rarely if ever been recorded in Iran before. This paper gives details of all records known to the author of 92 species that were recorded as rarities in Iran during the 12-year period under review. These include 18 species that had not previously been recorded in Iran, a further 67 species that were recorded on fewer than 13 occasions, and seven slightly commoner species for which there were very few records prior to 1967. All records of four distinctive subspecies are also included. The 29 species that were known from Iran prior to 1967 but not recorded during the period under review are listed in an Appendix. Keywords: Rare birds, rarities, 1970s, status, distribution, Iran. INTRODUCTION Eftekhar, E. Kahrom and J. Mansoori, several of whom quickly became keen ornithologists.
    [Show full text]
  • Reframing Social Fragility in Iraq
    REFRAMING SOCIAL FRAGILITY IN AREAS OF PROTRACTED DISPLACEMENT AND EMERGING RETURN IN IRAQ: A GUIDE FOR PROGRAMMING NADIA SIDDIQUI, ROGER GUIU, AASO AMEEN SHWAN International Organization for Migration Social Inquiry The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Cover Image: Kirkuk, Iraq, June 2016, Fragments in Kirkuk Citadel. Photo Credit: Social Inquiry. 2 Reframing Social Fragility In Areas Of Protracted Displacement And Emerging Return In Iraq Nadia Siddiqui Roger Guiu Aaso Ameen Shwan February 2017 3 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research and report were designed and written by Social Inquiry, a research group that focuses on post-conflict and fragile societies. The authors are Nadia Siddiqui, Roger Guiu, and Aaso Ameen Shwan. This work was carried out under the auspices of the International Organization for Migration’s Community Revitalization Program in Iraq and benefitted significantly from the input and support of Ashley Carl, Sara Beccaletto, Lorenza Rossi, and Igor Cvetkovski.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of Karun River Water Quality Scenarios Using Simulation Model Results
    Available online at http://www.ijabbr.com International journal of Advanced Biological and Biomedical Research Volume 2, Issue 2, 2014: 339-358 Evaluation of Karun River Water Quality Scenarios Using Simulation Model Results Mohammad Bagherian Marzouni a*, Ali Mohammad Akhoundalib, Hadi Moazedc, Nematollah Jaafarzadehd,e, Javad Ahadianf, Houshang Hasoonizadehg a Master Science of Civil & Environmental Eng, Faculty of Water Science Eng, Shahid Chamran University Of Ahwaz b Alimohammad Akhoondali, Professor of Water Eng, Faculty of Water Science Eng, Shahid Chamran University Of Ahwaz c Professor of Civil & Environmental Eng, Faculty of Water Science Eng, Shahid Chamran University Of Ahwaz d Environmental Technology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran e School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. f Assistant Professor of Water Eng, Faculty of Water Science Eng, Shahid Chamran University Of Ahwaz g Vice Basic Studies and Comprehensive Plans for Water Resources. Khuzestan Water and Power Authority. *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Karun River is the largest and most watery river in Iran. This river is the longest river which located just inside Iran and Ahvaz Metropolis drinking water supplied from Karun River as well (fa.alalam.ir). Karun River as the main source of water treatment plants in Ahvaz, like most surface waters affected by various contaminants which caused changes in water quality of the river (www.aww.co.ir). Causes such as constructing several dams at upstream river, withdrawal of water from the upstream to the needs of other regions of Iran, exposure of various industries along the river and discharge of industrial and urban sewage into the river, seen that today this river is deteriorating rapidly, qua today is the depth of river reach to 1 m with a high concentration of pollutants (www.tasnimnews.com).
    [Show full text]
  • Identification of the Water Pollutant Industries in Khuzestan Province
    Iranian J Env Health Sci Eng, 2004,Iranian Vol.1, JNo.2, Env pp.36-42Health Sci Eng, 2004, Vol.1, No.2, pp.36-42 Identification of the Water Pollutant Industries in Khuzestan Province N Jafarzadeh 1, S Rostami 2, K Sepehrfar 2, A Lahijanzadeh 2 1 Faculty of Health, Jondi Shapour Medical Sciences University of Ahvaz, Iran 2 State Head Office of Khuzestan Environmental Protection, Iran ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to build up a logic ranked pattern between the most important industrial activities with respect the type of water pollution and the discharge ways or managing the wastewaters in these units. For this purpose all of the statistical data have been gathered by referring to the responsible organizations. After that, by using the desk study, field work and selecting some of the industrial units as studied cases and by referring to their production processes and obtaining the curtained analytical results, the industries have been separated to several groups including Food ,Textile , Pulp & Paper/, Chemical, Non- metallic mineral, Metal and Electricity & electronics Comparing the number of active industrial plants within the boundaries of Khuzestan province at 5 catchments area, indicates that Karun, Dez and Jarrahi basins with 1044. 324 and 290 active plants, respectively, are crowded with a lot of industries. Nature of the examined parameters has been selected in view of the production process type and includes pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, chloride, sulfate, BOD, COD, TSS, iron. Results indicates that Dez river basin, being compared with the other two basins, impose the most degradable organic, nutrient substances and suspended particle loads to Dez River , and the metal pollution load at Karun basin is more than the other two basins , caused by the steel industries concentrated in Ahvaz city.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Developing a Water Quality Management
    Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2007, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 99-106 DEVELOPING A WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR KARUN AND DEZ RIVERS *1M. Afkhami , 2M. Shariat, 3N. Jaafarzadeh, 4H. Ghadiri, 5R. Nabizadeh 1Islamic Azad University, Sciences and Research Branch, Ahvaz, Iran 2Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad U niversity, Tehran, Iran 3Ahvaz Jondishapoor Medical Sciences University, Ahvaz, Iran 4Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia 5Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Medical Sciences/University of Teh ran, Tehran, Iran Received 10 January 2006; revised 30 February 2006; accepted 25 March 2006 ABSTRACT The Karun and Dez rivers basin are the largest river s basin in Iran which are situated in the south west of the country. Karun River originates from Zag ros mountain ranges and passing through Khuzestan plain, reaches the Persian Gulf. Several cities lie along its path of them the most important is Ahvaz, the center of Khuzestan province. To achieve water quality goals in Karun and Dez rivers, a water qual ity management model has been developed through the GIS approach and a mathematical water quality model. In Karun and Dez rivers, water quality has decreased due to heavy pollution loads from Khuzestan province cities and surrounding areas. In this survey, pollution sources, land use, geographic features and measured water quality data of the river basin were incorporated into the Arc -view geographic information system database. With the database, the model calculated management type and cost for each manag ement project in the river basin. Until now, river management policy for polluted rivers in Iran has been first of all to get penalties from pollution sources and secondarily, to construct treatment plants for the pollution sources whose wastewater is rele ased untreated and for which the wastewater quality goal of the Iranian Department of the E nvironment is not met.
    [Show full text]
  • Optimisation of the Tigris River Hydropower System Operations
    OPTIMISATION OF THE TIGRIS RIVER HYDROPOWER SYSTEM OPERATIONS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY EMRAH YALÇIN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING MAY 2015 Approval of the thesis: OPTIMISATION OF THE TIGRIS RIVER HYDROPOWER SYSTEM OPERATIONS submitted by EMRAH YALÇIN in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Gülbin Dural Ünver Dean, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevdet Yalçıner Head of Department, Civil Engineering Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şahnaz Tiğrek Supervisor, Civil Engineering Dept., Batman University Examining Committee Members: Prof. Dr. A. Melih Yanmaz Civil Engineering Dept., METU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şahnaz Tiğrek Civil Engineering Dept., Batman University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elçin Kentel Civil Engineering Dept., METU Asst. Prof. Dr. Önder Koçyiğit Civil Engineering Dept., Gazi University Asst. Prof. Dr. Aslı Numanoğlu Genç Civil Engineering Dept., Atılım University Date: 22.05.2015 I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Emrah Yalçın Signature : iv ABSTRACT OPTIMISATION OF THE TIGRIS RIVER HYDROPOWER SYSTEM OPERATIONS Yalçın, Emrah Ph.D., Department of Civil Engineering Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şahnaz Tiğrek May 2015, 146 pages Growing external energy dependence and rising oil prices are encouraging Turkey to turn to renewable energy, especially hydropower.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq and the Kurds: the Brewing Battle Over Kirkuk
    IRAQ AND THE KURDS: THE BREWING BATTLE OVER KIRKUK Middle East Report N°56 – 18 July 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. COMPETING CLAIMS AND POSITIONS................................................................ 2 A. THE KURDISH NARRATIVE....................................................................................................3 B. THE TURKOMAN NARRATIVE................................................................................................4 C. THE ARAB NARRATIVE .........................................................................................................5 D. THE CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE .................................................................................................6 III. IRAQ’S POLITICAL TRANSITION AND KIRKUK ............................................... 7 A. USES OF THE KURDS’ NEW POWER .......................................................................................7 B. THE PACE OF “NORMALISATION”........................................................................................11 IV. OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS................................................................ 16 A. THE KURDS.........................................................................................................................16 B. THE TURKOMANS ...............................................................................................................19
    [Show full text]
  • Euphrates-Tigris
    0 [Type here] Irrigation in Africa in figures - AQUASTAT Survey - 2016 Transboundary River Basin Overview – Euphrates-Tigris Version 2009 Recommended citation: FAO. 2009. AQUASTAT Transboundary River Basins – Euphrates-Tigris River Basin. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Rome, Italy The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licencerequest or addressed to [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Excavations at Ziyaret Tepe, Diyarbakir Province, Turkey, 2011-2014 Seasons
    Anatolica XLI, 2015 EXCAVATIONS AT ZIYARET TEPE, DIYARBAKIR PROVINCE, TURKEY, 2011-2014 SEASONS Timothy Matney, Tina Greenfield, Kemalettin Köroğlu, John MacGinnis, Lucas Proctor, Melissa Rosenzweig, and Dirk Wicke Abstract This article presents the results of excavations at Ziyaret Tepe, the Late Assyrian city of Tušhan in the Diyarbakır Province of southeastern Turkey during the summers of 2011-2013, as well as from a study season in 2014. Excavation in nine operations is briefly summarized, and the preliminary results of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical studies in three operations are presented. Major public buildings of the Late Assyrian period (c. 882- 611 BC) were recovered in Operation AN (palace), Operation W (administrative building), and Operation Y (city fortification), while an exposure of domestic architecture was revealed in Operation K. Also of importance from these field seasons was the documentation of a Late Roman, or Late Antique, occupation in Operations T and U. Zooarchaeological evidence from earlier excavations in Operation K reveal the subsistence practices of commoners during the Late Assyrian period. Likewise, the use of plants for human food and animal fodder are discussed for the Late Assyrian (Operation Q, the city gate excavated earlier) and the Late Antique (Operation T, domestic housing) periods. These combined reports outline the importance of animal husbandry, as well as agricultural production of grain, as key economic aspects of the Late Assyrian settlement, and complement existing cuneiform documentation. Introduction This paper represents the final installation in our preliminary report series inAnatolica covering the excavations at Ziyaret Tepe, the Late Assyrian city of Tušhan, in the Diyarbakır Province of southeastern Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • Mystery of Mosul Dam the Most Dangerous Dam in the World: the Project
    Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering, vol. 5, no.3, 2015, 15-31 ISSN: 1792-9040 (print), 1792-9660 (online) Scienpress Ltd, 2015 Mystery of Mosul Dam the most Dangerous Dam in the World: The project Nadhir Al-Ansari1, Issa E. Issa2, Varoujan Sissakian3, Nasrat Adamo4, Sven Knutsson5 Abstract Mosul Dam is an earthfill multipurpose dam. It is located on the River Tigris in northwestern Iraq. The dam is 3.65 km long and its crest elevation is at 341 m above sea level. The storage capacity at normal operation level (330 m above sea level) is 11.11km3. The work to build the dam started on 25thJanuary, 1981 and finished on 24thJuly, 1986. The total cost of the development was estimated at 2.6 billion US$. The foundation of the dam lies on the Fatha Formation. This formation is composed of alternating beds of marls, limestone, gypsum and claystone. It is highly karstified, which has which created a lot of problems during the construction, impounding and operation phases. Keywords: Mosul Dam, Karstification, Gypsum, Iraq, Geology of Mosul Dam. 1 Introduction The rivers Tigris and Euphrates form the main water resources of Iraq. Most of the water from these rivers comes from Turkey (71%) followed by Iran (6.9%) and Syria (4%). The remainder, only 8%, is from internal sources [1,2,3]. The average annual flow of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris is estimated to be about 30 km3 (which might fluctuate from 10 to 40 km3) for the former and 21.2 km3 for the latter when they enter Iraq.
    [Show full text]
  • Report Iraq: Security Situation and Internally Displaced People in Kirkuk Province - May/June 2015
    Report Iraq: Security situation and internally displaced people in Kirkuk province - May/June 2015 Report Iraq: Security situation and internally displaced people in Kirkuk province - May/June 2015 LANDINFO – 2 JULY 2015 1 The Country of Origin Information Centre (Landinfo) is an independent body that collects and analyses information on current human rights situations and issues in foreign countries. It provides the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet – UDI), Norway’s Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda – UNE) and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police with the information they need to perform their functions. The reports produced by Landinfo are based on information from both public and non-public sources. The information is collected and analysed in accordance with source criticism standards. When, for whatever reason, a source does not wish to be named in a public report, the name is kept confidential. Landinfo’s reports are not intended to suggest what Norwegian immigration authorities should do in individual cases; nor do they express official Norwegian views on the issues and countries analysed in them. Translation provided by the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Belgium. © Landinfo 2015 The material in this report is covered by copyright law. Any reproduction or publication of this report or any extract thereof other than as permitted by current Norwegian copyright law requires the explicit written consent of Landinfo. For information on all of the reports published by Landinfo, please contact: Landinfo Country of Origin Information Centre Storgata 33A P.O. Box 8108 Dep NO-0032 Oslo Norway Tel: +47 23 30 94 70 Fax: +47 23 30 90 00 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.landinfo.no Report Iraq: Security situation and internally displaced people in Kirkuk province - May/June 2015 LANDINFO – 2 JULY 2015 2 SUMMARY The security situation in this province is marked by ongoing warfare across large parts of its southern half, in contrast to a calmer situation in the northern parts.
    [Show full text]