110 organizations urge Turkey to share water resources with Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A group of 110 Syrian organizations signed a statement calling on Turkey to share the water resources of the Euphrates River with Syria and Iraq. They also urged all parties to the conflict to fulfill their duties towards the right of all Syrians to access sufficient and safe water.
The organizations signed a statement in which the called on the United Nations to find an urgent and sustainable solution for the water crisis in northeast Syria and throughout the country, as well as to neutralize water resources from political and military disputes, according to Hevdesti/Synergy Association.
Hevdesti/Synergy is a non-profit organization comprised of journalists, human rights activists, and researchers from Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad who aim to document the violations committed in the two cities by Syrian armed opposition factions.
The water level of the Euphrates River has dropped by five meters recently due to Turkey’s seizure of the river’s water. The flow rate has been limited to 200 cubic meters per second, which is a serious breach of the 1987 water-sharing agreement signed with Syria and Iraq under the United Nations’ supervision.
The 1987 agreement stipulates Turkey’s permanent commitment to pumping 500 cubic meters of water per second from the Euphrates River towards Syria.
The signatories called on Turkey and other parties to the conflict to abide by their duties towards human rights and respect the right of all Syrians to access drinking and usable water, as well as neutralize water resources from political rivalries.
The organizations demanded developing a strategy for the region on transboundary water challenges. They said that the United Nations must take the necessary measures to ensure the right of the civilians in northeast Syria to access safe and sufficient water.
Additionally, the organizations stressed the importance of prioritizing the conservation of existing water resources, in addition to the rehabilitation of their infrastructure, along with initiate the clean-up and treatment of all contaminated water resources.