Dams management in northeast Syria holds Turkey responsible for reducing water
KOBANE, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, The General Management of the Dams in northeast Syria issued a statement in which it held Turkey responsible for the consequences of reducing water in the area.
“The decrease in water supply from the Turkish side caused a decrease in the water level in the lakes of both Tishrin and the Euphrates Dams,” Hammoud al-Hammadi, an official at Tishrin Dam, told North Press.
“The lack of water resources negatively affected the various aspects of life,” he added.
The water level decreased from the maximum level of 325.20 m³ to 320.70 m³, with a decrease of more than 4 m³.
The sharp decrease in water resources and lake levels resulted in a decrease of water storage, and consequently the proportion of toxins, factory leftovers and sanitation in the water.
Al-Hammadi pointed out that the effects of the decrease “led to health risks to people who depend on river water for drinking without treatment.
The low water level also has caused the drinking pumps to be out of service in most areas, according to al-Hammadi.
Only two water turbines have been worked, and the efficiency of each turbine has decreased by 30%, with each turbine currently produces 70 megawatts.
Power feeding in the region will be limited to only six hours, due to limited water supply, according to al-Hammadi.
The decrease in water resources also has negative impacts on providing drinking water for the population, in addition to its impact on fishery resources, agriculture and food security for the region in general.
The Managements of Dams calls on the UN and the international humanitarian organizations to intervene in order to pressure Turkey to return to the international agreements regarding quantities of water, “because the current situation threatens a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe.”
Turkey keeps water in six dams, the largest of which is Ataturk Dam and the second largest in the Middle East, with a storage capacity of 48 billion m³, violating by that the international agreement.
According to the agreement signed between Syria and Turkey in 1987 related to the Euphrates River, Syria’s share of water coming from Turkey, is 500 m³ per second.