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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWater War? Turkey Cuts Water Supply to Syria - Euphrates Shut Down
Western hostilities toward Syria reached a new level of viciousness. Al-Akahbar English reports:
"The Turkish government recently cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis. Al-Akahbar found out that the water level in Lake Assad has dropped by about six meters, leaving millions of Syrians without drinking water." Suhaib Anjarini, Al Akahbar, May 30
The water cutoff by the Turkish government caused Lake Assad to drop six feet threatening two million people in and around Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. The Euphrates originates in Turkey and also provides a critical water source for Iraq.
Turkey, a NATO member, strongly opposes to the current government of Syria. The Turkish border to Syria is a major supply route for weapons and foreign fighters against the Syrian government.
Along with China and Brunei, Turkey refused to sign the United Nation's agreement on International Watercourses. The agreement calls for the "equitable and reasonable" sharing of rivers, wither they originate or flow into a nation. In addition, the agreement states that nations shall "take all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm."
more...
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Turkey-Cuts-Water-Supply-t-by-Michael-Collins-Euphrates_NATO_Syrian-Situation_Turkey-140602-17.html
Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Then things started going to hell for him. Maybe karma really exists.
autorank
(29,457 posts)He was about to do a major deal with Syria for some sort of federation agreement, then he switched 180 degrees and became the front line for regime change. When the leaked wire taps started flowing in December, the bloom was off the rose. The guy was on tape using his son as a bag man. Erdogan must stay in power to avoid prosecution. Ironically, the constitutional reforms passed by his party are the very one's he's violating all the time. Guy's over the cliff, imho.
polly7
(20,582 posts)Just something I read today about Syria's long ago known of and ongoing water crisis:
The research paper by Dr Peter Gleick demonstrates clearly that the Syrian conflict is not just a climate war, or a resource war, but a water war. Between 2006 and 2011, the country suffered the worst long-term drought and the most severe set of crop failures in recorded history.
"But the destabilising role of climate change in Syria did not come to light solely with hindsight - US officials were aware for years of the risks. In his paper, Dr Gleick, who is president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security - refers to leaked US diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Damascus to the State Department in Washington DC warning of the implications of the unprecedented drought. In Gleick's words:
"That cable describes a briefing by FAO Syrian Representative Abdullah bin Yehia on drought impacts, which he described as a 'perfect storm' when combined with other economic and social pressure. Concerns expressed at that time also noted that the population displacements 'could act as a multiplier on social and economic pressures already at play and undermine stability in Syria.'"
http://www.alternet.org/environment/age-climate-warfare-here-and-military-industrial-complex-gearing-it?paging=off
Aerows
(39,961 posts)Children that aren't even involved will suffer.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Isn't water a resource?????
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)I mean it is a river, a rather large one at that. Do they have mega-reservoirs?
autorank
(29,457 posts)Good question. Here's part of the answer:
"Turkey controls the Tigris and Euphrates headwaters, as well as the reservoirs and infrastructure of Turkey's Greater Anatolia Project, which dictates how much water flows downstream into Syria and Iraq, the researchers said. With no coordinated water management between the three countries, tensions have intensified since the 2007 drought because Turkey continues to divert water to irrigate farmland." Bloomberg BusinessWeek Feb 13, 2013
The Greater Anatolia Project is massive and has huge capacity to divert water from the Euphrates.
"The Euphrates River has already shown a substantial change due to a partial completion of the GAP. All planned dams on the Euphrates have completely been built and while complete irrigation has not been implemented, this already has negative effects on Iraq and Syria concerning water quantity. Between 2000 and 2001, and since 2008, there have been a series of severe droughts in the region, dramatically reducing water flow to Iraq and Syria. Since April 2009, the Iraqi government has communicated official statements to Turkey to release more water from the Euphrates.
"The storage capacity of the constructed five dams on the Euphrates within Turkey is about 90 cubic kilometers while the annual mean flow of the Euphrates River is approximately 32 cubic kilometers. The planned capacity of the dams in the Tigris River Basin is 20.5 cubic kilometer, and the annual mean flow of the Tigris is approximately 17 cubic kilometer at the Turkish-Iraqi border. In other words, the water storage capacity of the existing and planned dams of the both rivers is more than enough to cease water flow for a long period of time." Kurdish Herald, Sept 2009
I wondered of Erdogan would pull a stunt like this and chastised myself for even thinking anyone would take such an action. Well...
Here's what GAP looks like:
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)I live in a wetter place but it seems like 32 cubic kilometers is not much. I bet the Wisconsun River drains more.
Anyway, if I was Turkey I would think twice about topping off all these new resevoirs and dams. The recent history proves that they may not be up to snuff.
TheKentuckian
(25,035 posts)NATO be damned.
All this tells me is they are willfully trying to provoke a strong reaction and if you get it, it is because you wanted it and I don't give a shot if they gas you and in fact, I will consider it as if you took the actions yourselves against your own people.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)So which other treaties should be ignored?
(On second thought, I agree with your position. The us has been a terrible ally for generations. What is one more betrayal?)
TheKentuckian
(25,035 posts)If they get attacked in retaliation for water hoarding then I believe any wound would be self inflicted.
Uncle Joe
(58,524 posts)Thanks for the thread, Purveyor.
redqueen
(115,108 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Separation
(1,975 posts)It's used all over the world. Water wars, happened here in the west 100 years ago. It's happening in China, Bangledesh, India, and many more places. Not really sure why this is news and the other places are outright ignored.
In India there are army outposts on rivers that have been cut off of Bangledesh.