Abstract

This article reviews three bilateral agreements made between Jordan and Syria over the last 50 years regarding use of the shared waters of the Yarmouk River. Jordan began constructing the long-planned Unity Dam and the permanent Adaseya diversion weir only after concluding the most recent agreement, in 2001. The article presents land-area and economic calculations to suggest why Jordan agreed to narrower and less favourable terms in the 2001 agreement—including a lowered dam height, a smaller allocation of Yarmouk waters, and a larger share of dam construction costs. It also identifies several environmental and political issues that the 2001 agreement does not address. The analysis shows that changing politics, hydrology, land use, and economics have motivated multiple past Yarmouk water agreements and may resurface to require further negotiations in the future.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.