The Euphrates River—an International Problem of Water Resources Development

Abstract

The watershed of the River Euphrates lies within the boundaries of the present-day states of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Almost 90% of the runoff from the basin is generated within the highlands of eastern Turkey as the result of snow-melt occurring during late spring and early summer. At this time, flood levels are usually reached along the whole length of the River.The former inhabitants of the floodplain lands of Iraq utilized the waters of the River Euphrates for at least 6,000 years. By so doing, empires dependent upon irrigated agriculture flourished and then decayed, leaving behind spectacular ruins practically throughout Mesopotamia. Until the time of the Second World War, Iraq was the only country within the Euphrates basin that made large demands on the water resources of the River. Since that time, Iraq's demand has continued to increase, resulting in average water withdrawals of over 16,000 million m3/year during the 1960s. This figure represents about 45% of the average annual discharge of the Euphrates into Iraq.Since the mid-1960s, both Syria and Turkey have planned major dam schemes to utilize the waters of the Euphrates. The Tabqa Dam in Syria, and the Keban Dam in Turkey, have already been constructed, and Turkey has planned other major hydraulic works along its section of the River. When the irrigation projects associated with these schemes are in full operation towards the end of the century, it seems that the likely demand for water will be in excess of the available flow of the River.The country which is likely to suffer most as a result of this is Iraq, owing to its situation in the lowest part of the basin. Already, diplomatic relationships between Syria and Iraq have been severely strained as the result of disagreements about the allocation of the water resources of the River Euphrates. In future, it seems possible that such disputes will continue to occur, and perhaps also to become of increasing severity as both Turkey and Syria begin to use large proportions of the available riverflow for irrigation. The only permanent solution to the problem would seem to be the establishment of an international body to supervise the just allocation of the water resources of the Euphrates between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. At present it seems unlikely that a lasting agreement will be reached between the three countries.