By Ahmad Othman
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Recently, water levels of the Euphrates River reduced significantly. Turkey continues to limit the flow of the river’s water into Syrian territories for over 30 months.
The drop in water levels has prompted international and local appeals to Turkey to release Syria’s agreed-upon share. Nevertheless Turkey, the upstream country, ignores the appeals.
The residents of northeastern Syria depend primarily on the Euphrates River and consider it as the lifeline of the region. However, the decline in its water levels has widely impacted the population in terms of electricity, irrigation and drinking water, and has even posed threats to food security and livestock.
The river’s declining flow and low water levels have led to an increase in water toxicity, creating a fertile environment for the spread of diseases and epidemics.
Catastrophic depletion
Imad Obeid, an official in the Dams General Administration affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North East Syria (AANES), said that constantly limiting the flow of water of the Euphrates River has impacted the health, environment, and economic conditions in areas of the AANES.
The severe reduction in water coming from Turkish territories has led to a decline in the generation of electricity, and the contamination of drinking water, resulting in the spread of diseases and epidemics, which augurs “a real humanitarian catastrophe,” he added.
According to the 1987 agreement signed between Turkey, Syria and Iraq under the auspices of the United Nations, Syria’s share of the Euphrates River is 500 cubic meters per second.
“However, for about two years, Turkey has stopped the flow of the agreed-upon amount of water, forcing the Dam Administration to draw water from the strategic reserve of the lakes,” according to Obeid.
The water flow, which does not exceed 250 cubic meters per second now, is decreased further due to evaporation, and consumed for drinking water and irrigation. During summer, the Euphrates Lake loses approximately 80 to 100 cubic meters per second through evaporation, he added.
In addition to drawing 75 cubic meters per second via the irrigation channel in the Euphrates River and drawing 70 cubic meters of water for the al-Khafsah and al-Babiri water stations that supply Aleppo with drinking water.
Meanwhile, the share of water passed down to Iraq is 180 cubic meters per second. These amounts exceed the amounts that enter from Turkey and are compensated from the lakes reserve, according to the official.
He revealed that the amount of water stored behind the Euphrates Dam has decreased from 14 billion cubic meters to only 10 billion due to depletion, causing the lake to lose 75 percent of its effective reserve.
Obeid said that the maximum level of the Euphrates Lake is 304 meters above sea level, but due to depletion, the level has dropped to 297,75. The lake has lost over six meters vertically, with two cm daily loss.
The dead level, which is 296 meters above sea level where power generation units are shut down. Hence, the lake is less than a meter away from going out of service. “If limiting water flow continues, we may be forced to shut down the dam,” he said.
The Euphrates Dam’s turbines require a compressor of minimum 40 meters to function. The compressor is the difference between the level of the lake and the river.
Violating international laws
Legal experts consider Turkey’s withholding of the Euphrates River waters a violation of the UN Convention, as it is the sponsor for the regulation of cross-border rivers and water borders. Cross-border rivers have international agreements sponsored by the UN, that stipulate the upstream country to release specific quantities of water to midstream and downstream countries.
Article 7 of the 1997 Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses prohibits causing serious damage to other countries when utilizing an international watercourse.
However, since signing the 1987 agreement, Turkey has continued to control the water flow as it pleases not abiding by acceptable standards in terms of health. Turkey has consistently used the Euphrates River as leverage against Syria and considered the river as its property, using it as a more effective tool than military warfare.
Reaching dead level
Hamoud al-Hamadin, an official at Tishrin Dam in Manbij, says the water situation in northeastern Syria, with the decreasing water levels of the Euphrates River, is miserable.
The official said even though “a difficult and tiring” summer has passed with water demand being at its peak, there has been no change in water inflow amid no response to local and international appeals to restore the river’s level.
Al-Hamadin added they compensate for the loss of water in the Euphrates Lake from Tishrin Lake. However, water comes from one source, hence compensation is useless if you take into consideration the need to generate electricity, provide water for drinking and irrigation, and the water that is lost due to evaporation.
Despite water rationalization programs implemented by the Dams Administration, lake waters continue to be depleted. The operation of the Tishrin Dam was completely shut down in March 2022 to avoid reaching the dead level.
The maximum level of Lake Tishrin water is 325 meters above sea level, but currently stands at 321.5 meters, leaving it only a meter and a half above the dead level.
The water inflow from the Turkish side “fluctuates” between 180-250 cubic meters, which is not sufficient to cover the need of drinking water and irrigation, or compensate the evaporated water, al-Hamadin noted.
Significant negative impacts
One of the most important effects that resulted from the decline in the water level of the Euphrates River is the cessation of the generation of electricity and reduced hours of power supply.
“If the water level returns to the normal level, it is possible to operate the six turbines of the Tishrin Dam or the four turbines of the Euphrates Dam, which means we can provide electricity for 24 hours a day,” according to al-Hamadin.
Currently, the Dams Administration implements a rationalization program to generate the minimum level of power, as only two turbines at the Tishrin Dam operate for just six hours, with a capacity of up to 150 mw out of 210 mw. “This results in inefficiency in the turbine’s performance due to the insufficient water flow,” he said.
Al-Hamadin believes that the decline in the Euphrates River water level has threatened food security in northeastern Syria. This caused thousands of hectares of land to remain uncultivated due to their distance from the river’s watercourse. Additionally, farmers cannot rely on the river’s water level and fear its recession and jeopardizing their harvest.
Farmers who have lands near the course of the Euphrates River suffered from substantial losses due to the recession of the river’s watercourse. Some of them were forced to buy water pipes to draw water and hire heavy machinery to dig small channels in the old riverbed to connect them to their lands.
This process inflicts huge costs on farmers, including the purchase of water pipes, water pumps, costs of maintenance and fuel expenses, exacerbating their suffering.
The Euphrates River is considered the lifeline for the people along its course, with the majority relying on agriculture as a primary source of income, in addition to livestock breeding.
Violated sacred rights
Al-Hamadin said drinking water is an undisputable sacred right, but it is now threatened. The water of the Euphrates has become a fertile environment for the spread of epidemics and pandemics due to poor water quality.
The decreasing flow of the Euphrates contributes to an increased concentration of toxins from wasted water discharged from industrial facilities in Turkey’s sewage channels that pour into the river.
The river’s reduced level has led to the shutdown of drinking water stations and difficulties in obtaining good-quality water suitable for drinking.
The Euphrates River now resembles swamps, leading to the spread of diseases and epidemics due to the high pollution levels in its waters. The direct use of the water now poses a threat to the lives of the population.
International laws, such as Convention on the Rights of the Child, UN resolutions and Geneva Conventions, safeguard the right to access safe drinking water and secured sewage services. The laws consider it as crucial as food, healthcare and protection against attacks.
In July 2010, the UN declared that safe and clean drinking water and sewage services are fundamental human rights essential for the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights.
Risked natural resources
Al-Hamadin noted, the decline in the water level of the river and lakes has negatively impacted both land and marine life. The existence of fish in the lakes has been jeopardized in terms of quantity and quality due to the increase in the concentration of wastewater.
He argues that the river’s impact on agriculture linked to livestock on the long run, as the stability of the river’s water level can contribute to securing seasonal fodder for livestock, positively affecting breeders and economy.
Moreover, the loss of water and food security and unstable living conditions prompt locals to sell their lands and livestock and migrate abroad, according to al-Hamadin.