Deficient Developmental Planning Leading to Water Conflicts across Political Borders: The Way Forward

Elias Salameh,Nadhir Al-Ansari

doi:10.4236/eng.2021.133012

Abstract

In this article, Turkey, Iran and Syria in the Middle East area are taken as examples for deficient planning and development of water resources shared with their downstream countries resulting in severe social, economic and political percussions to these neighbors. The current situation in the Middle East with wars against terrorism, uprising of population groups, and COVID-19 Pandemic have not allowed the affected countries Jordan, Iraq and Syria to properly react to the assaults of upstream water development and diversions on their fair shares in the transboundary waters. The rivers’ upstream developmental schemes have not taken advantages of recent advanced technological knowhow of water efficient development and use, seemingly because the arising water problems and catastrophes will not affect these upstream countries, but their downstream neighbors. Although, it is by now known that pressurized water conveyance system relative to canals saves 10% - 20% of the transmitted water, and drip and sprinkler irrigation require only 40% - 50% of the water used in surface and furrow irrigation, that is in addition to agricultural production increases when using advanced management strategies. As enhancing policies, tradeoffs between downstream and upstream countries are thought of as a strategic option to improve the water use efficiency in upstream countries in order to help downstream countries in obtaining their fair shares of the transboundary water resources.

Highlights

Upstream countries of river basins develop much of the basin’s water resources for agricultural uses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Turkey, Iran and Syria in the Middle East area are taken as examples for deficient planning and development of water resources shared with their downstream countries resulting in severe social, economic and political percussions to these neighbors
It is known that pressurized water conveyance system relative to canals saves 10% - 20% of the transmitted water, and drip and sprinkler irrigation require only 40% - 50% of the water used in surface and furrow irrigation, that is in addition to agricultural production increases when using advanced management strategies

Summary

Introduction

Upstream countries of river basins develop much of the basin’s water resources for agricultural uses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Technological advancement in the water sector is positively changing the lifestyles of people and societies and adding security to the socio-economics and political comfort of countries, especially those countries of the dry climatic zones of the Globe More water in such countries means comfort that is more human and increasing agriculture and industrial production, which result in increasing employment and decreasing poverty and hunger. Traditional irrigation ways were used along the Euphrates, Tigris, Diyala, Jordan and Yarmouk Rivers throughout human history, but the problem in these river’s basins is that the recent irrigation projects of dam construction, and hydropower generation are designed using the most advanced technologies and only irrigation systems using these structures’ water continue to use outdated tradition farming systems This might indicate that the traditional ineffective irrigation systems were intentionally meant to remain, in order, to deprive the downstream countries of their fair shares in the transboundary water. The questions arising; here are can the application of advanced water and agricultural technologies and management tools in the upstream areas of river basins save water so that downstream areas receive their fair shares of that water? What tradeoffs among basin riparian countries can be worked out to achieve fair sharing of water resources? Can such trade-offs lead to fair use of water and win-win situations in a river basin?

Countries

Turkey

Findings

Discussion and Conclusions