{"id":129140,"date":"2025-09-01T11:39:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T11:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=129140"},"modified":"2025-09-01T11:39:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T11:39:19","slug":"farmers-in-syrias-tabqa-battle-drought-as-euphrates-recedes-to-dead-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/129140\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmers in Syria’s Tabqa battle drought as Euphrates recedes to \u201cdead level\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Zana al-Ali<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TABQA, Syria (North Press) \u2013<\/strong> In the village of Twaihina in the countryside of Tabqa, northern Syria, farmer Ibrahim al-Harir digs an irrigation canal by hand, stretching more than a kilometer in a desperate attempt to draw Euphrates water to his land. The river has retreated far from his fields, leaving him struggling to keep his crops alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Harir, 43, reflects the plight of thousands of farmers along the Euphrates who face an acute water shortage that threatens their fields and the coming agricultural season. Twaihina, located 30 kilometers northwest of Tabqa, relies almost entirely on the river to irrigate its farmland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have been suffering for more than two months,\u201d al-Harir told North Press. \u201cThe water level keeps dropping. We grab our shovels and dig, but there’s no water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that farmers once relied on small diesel pumps when the water was close, but now dig canals more than 1,500 meters long to reach pumps that can transfer water to their fields. Costs for hoses, diesel, and solar panels add to their burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year is the worst,\u201d he said. \u201cLast year was difficult, but this year is devastating. These lands once had boats sailing on them. Now, they\u2019ve become a desert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of drought are everywhere. The Euphrates has retreated more than a kilometer from Twaihina\u2019s farmland, leaving cracked soil and polluted waters. Villagers have turned to solar panels to reduce irrigation costs, placing them in spots where they once fished only two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battle for water<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the dry ground, 77-year-old Shahada al-Khalil, leaning on two crutches, watches workers install solar panels nearly a kilometer from his olive trees. Just last year, the Euphrates flowed beside his field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am 77 years old, and this is the first time I have seen the river drop to this level since the flood,\u201d al-Khalil told North Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite back pain, he oversees the installation himself. After losing his only son years ago, he now faces life\u2019s hardships alone. He says he was forced to borrow money to buy solar panels to keep his olive trees alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do not know if other countries are restricting the river\u2019s flow, but the water keeps decreasing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No strategic reserve<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Farmers\u2019 suffering is compounded by regional politics. Local officials accuse Turkey of restricting the flow of Euphrates water into Syria, reducing inflow into dams and depleting strategic reserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imad Obeid, an official at the Euphrates Dam in Tabqa, told North Press that the lake\u2019s maximum level is 304 meters above sea level, while the minimum required to operate turbines is 296 meters, known as the \u201cdead level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurrently, the dam is at dead level,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cThe lake has already dropped more than seven meters, which means the remaining reserves are extremely limited. If this continues, the stations may stop working.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Obeid, inflow has fallen to no more than 250 cubic meters per second, most of which is consumed by irrigation, while 85 cubic meters per second is lost to evaporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is practically no strategic reserve left,\u201d he warned. \u201cWhat remains of the lake\u2019s water is now measured in mere centimeters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that the Euphrates\u2019 strategic lakes have already lost nearly half their capacity\u2014about seven billion cubic meters out of 14 billion cubic meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editing by Jwan Shekaki<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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