Yesterday Daniel wrote a sobering report on the increasingly serious drought conditions throughout the entire region. Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Iraq have all reported water shortages that are sure to affect both the environment and international security.
Sadly, Syria can also join this unfortunately long list.
Syria has been suffering from a drought for the past five years. Like other Middle Eastern countries, Syria’s demand for water in the industrial and agricultural sectors, which comprise 90 percent of its entire water consumption, has increased over the past few years. The severe lack of rain this winter exacerbates the problem.
Damascus already felt the impacts of the drought this summer, when the taps ran dry in many neighborhoods and residents of the capital city were forced to buy water on the black market.
Mufak Khalouf, the head of the Damascus Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, recently spoke at a special conference in Damascus, and warned that the city might remain without water. “If we don’t do something fast, we’ll be facing a catastrophe we have not witnessed for the past 50 years,” he said.
Although the Syrian officials have taken steps like developing additional wells and replacing pipes to prevent leakage and waste, Khalouf indicated disaster may be imminent if the country does not adopt stronger measures.
A study by Japan’s International Cooperation Agency concluded that Syria will have to spend billions of dollars to prevent a severe water crisis in Damascus. The Japanese government already funded a $50 million project to help replace 100 kilometers of piping in the city in 2004. They also stated they intend to continue investing in Syrian water projects, which many include a $2 billion water transportation project from the Euphrates River to Damascus.
:: Ynetnews
Image Credit: wester
For more on the severe drought affecting the Middle East:
Drought Affecting Security, Natural Systems Across Middle East
Drought in Jordan Calls People to Pray for Rain and the Controversial Dead-Red Peace Canal
Will Climate Change Reduce Or Increase Middle East Rainfall?
[…] Syria Suffers Water Shortage- More News on Middle East Drought […]
[…] But then in the 1960s the Khabur River Project was developed to build a series of dams and canals, leading to excessive extraction. A culmination of that, a four year long drought exacerbated by rising temperatures, and old-fashioned bad management has dried up the Euphrates’ largest tributary, the Khabur River. Some are in denial, but scientists claim that unless the country learns how to stop wasting water, Syria faces a shriveled future. […]
[…] that Cyprus now faces, as well as solutions such as desalination, are very similar to those of other Mediterranean countries, including Lebanon, Syria, and […]
Call me crazy, but I’m still believing in ‘Baal’. And I think he’s sitting on the top of Mout Hermon lookind down to us 😉
As you know, the Rain-God Ball was the ‘biggest’ God in the Levante Area. So when I visit Syria in winter 2000/2001 my family, friends and neighbours complaind, that over a period of 10 years the rain has fallen less and less.
So I decide to go back to ancient ‘problem-solving’ methods … and I was right! After a fire sacrifices to the Rain-God Baal (a piece of praliné ) – it started to rain day and night… ;-))
So it seem that this works even better then the Cloudbuster-Rainmaking of the Wilhelm-Reich-Scholars.
All the best!
Achmed (Ahmad)
http://greenprophet.com/2009/01/12/5965/syria-activism/
Syria Suffers As Well – More News on Middle Eastern Drought http://tinyurl.com/co34g9