The Scarcity of Water in the Middle East
Abstract
The primary water resources in the Middle East are the rivers situated mainly in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, and which flow to other countries such as Iraq and Israel. Water will become scarce in many of those countries as the population rate increases and water levels decrease. Therefore, it is essential that these countries cooperate with regard to the sharing of water resources. The Middle East has gone through some very crucial times in the past 40 years and has witnessed three major wars where a lot of financial resources were consumed. After the Persian Gulf War, both the United States and Russia called for peace between Israel and its neighbors after more than 50 years of hostility. In every negotiation, the issue of water was on the agenda, and it still is today. Many scholars have studied the different aspects of the water scarcity issue in the Middle East and how this could affect the relationships among these countries. Turkey controls the majority of the water resources in the region. It recently built a dam on the Euphrates River to control more water. It also has built a solid relationship with Israel, which might be given some of that water. On the other hand, Turkey has a very unstable relationship with Syria, which has caused shortages in the quantity of water available to that country. As a consequence, or in retaliation, Syria has been supporting the Kurd rebels in southern Turkey. It is essential that all the countries of the Middle East cooperate with regard to water regardless of their differences in religion, language, and customs, if they want to achieve a better future. This paper provides an overview of the water scarcity issue in the Middle East, previous water conflicts (i.e., the Shat Al-Arab dispute, the Nile crisis, and the Syrian-Iraqi water conflict of 1974-1975), water scarcity and the potential of war, and water projects in the Middle East. (8 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA425339
Entities
People
- Abdullah Al-sulimani
Organizations
- Air University