The Tigris and Euphrates River Basin

history

http://ancienthistory.about.com/

Modern(er) History

The Region

The Region

The Region

The Rivers

Tigris• 1,840 km – Second

Longest in Southwest Asia

• 53 Billion Cubic Meters Annually

• 52% of flow originates in Turkey, 48% in Iraq

Euphrates• 2,700 km – Longest in

Southwest Asia• 32 Billion Cubic Meters

Annually• 98% of flow originates in

Turkey• 70-80 % Removed for

Irrigation before reaching Shatt Al-Arab

www.parstimes.com

Past Treaties• 1946 – “Treaty of Friendship and Neighborly

Relations” – Allowed Iraq to construct hydrologic stations in Turkey

• 1967 – Iraq, Turkey and Syria form a Joint Technical Committee which resulted in exchange of information

• 1974 / 1980 – Attempt #2 /3 of the JTC

• 1987 – Syria and Turkey agreed to a treaty promising minimal flows of 500 m3/s in exchange for military protection from the Kurds

• 1990 – Iraq and Syria agree to share all water that flows from Turkey. Syria is allowed access to 42% of the water while allowing 58% to flow on to Iraq

The Helsinki Rules

• Syria and Iraq’s Argument:– Economic and Social Needs– Prior Use– Availability of other Resources

• Turkey’s Claim to the Basin:– Contribution to the Drainage Basin Area– Not a ‘international’ instead a

‘transnational’ river– Thus coincides with the Harmon Doctrine

and upstream sovereignty

Construction on the River

• Ataturk– Major Turkish dam – Led to major dispute down river– Failed to meet 500 m3/s– Capacity of 48.7 km3

• Tabaqah Dam (Euphrates Dam) – Built by the Syrians– Led to armed threat from Iraq– Capacity of 12 km3

• GAP Project – Southeastern Anatolia Development Project

GAP Ideals

• To develop all of the land and water resources in the region in order to accelerate economic and social development

• To alleviate disparity between the south-eastern Anatolia region and the other regions of Turkey by increasing the production and welfare levels in the region

• To increase the productivity and employment capacity in that region.

• To meet the increased need for infrastructure resulting from population explosion and urbanization

• To organize economic and physical infrastructure in rural areas in such a way as to utilize the resources in the most useful ways and to direct urban growth in desired directions

• To contribute to the national objectives of sustained economic growth and export promotion by efficient utilization of the region’s resources

• 22 Dams to be constructed at $30 Billion

The Scenario

A Water War Case Study?

• The downstream riparian must be highly dependent on the water supply

• The upstream country must have the ability to control the flow of water downstream

• The rival countries have a history of mutual antagonism

• Downstream countries must poses military superiority

Issues/Solutions?

• How do we motivate Turkey to cooperate with its downstream neighbors?

• What responsibility does Turkey have to provide for Syria and Iraq?

• What will the consequences be if these issues are not resolved?

‘Neither Syria nor Iraq can lay claim to Turkey’s rivers any more than Ankara could claim their oil. We have a right to do anything we like. The water resources are Turkey’s, the oil resources are theirs. We don’t say we share their oil resources, and they can’t say they share our water resources.’

- Turkey’s Prime Minister Suleyman

‘Our policy now is to simply be very nice to Turkey and hope for the best’.

- Syrian Government Official

References• Dogan Altinbilek, “Development and Management of the Euphrates–

Tigris Basin,” Water Resources Development 20 (1) (2004): 15-33.• ZAWAHRI, N.A.: Stabilizing Iraq's water supply: what the Euphrates

and Tigris rivers can learn from the Indus. In: THIRD WORLD QUARTERLY, 27(6) 2006: 1041-1058.

• Freeman, Kevin. 2001. “Water Wars? Inequalities in the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin.” Geopolitics. Vol.6, No.2: 127-140 Autumn.

• ICE Case Studies, Tigris-Euphrates River Dispute, 2/21/2008, http://american.edu/TED/ice/tigris.htm

• www.wikipedia.org• Transboundary Water Challenges: Case Studies, D. C. McKinney,

University of Texas at Austin, 2008 • Venter, Al J.The Oldest Threat: Water in the Middle East. Middle

East Policy, Vol. 1, 1998• http://toolooney.goldenagecartoons.com• www.freedigitalphotos.net/