In addition, dumping of untreated sewage into the Euphrates and its tributaries contributes to other forms of water pollution. Water use in the Euphrates Basin in Iraq, Syria and Turkey focuses on irrigation, hydropower and drinking water supply, with agriculture consuming the largest share of water (more than 70%).Īs a result, water quality has become a serious issue on the Euphrates River: return flows from agricultural drainage cause salinity problems that are exacerbated along the river course. With the construction of large water engineering structures in upstream Turkey and Syria, the Euphrates flow regime has shifted towards less pronounced seasonal variation. The regulation of the Euphrates River is an extreme example of how human intervention can impact a river regime. However, data records over the last 70 years show a negative trend, indicating a decrease in mean annual flow to about 25 BCM. Historically, the natural annual flow of the Euphrates at the Syrian-Turkish border was around 30 BCM. In addition to some intermittent streams, the Sajur, Balikh and Khabour are the main contributors to Euphrates flow in Syria. Most of the Euphrates stream-flow originates from precipitation in the Armenian Highlands contributions by the remaining riparian countries are generally small. The river has three riparian countries, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, and its basin is distributed among five countries with a total estimated population of 23 million. The Euphrates River is the longest river in Western Asia.
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