(Alors, je ne vous dis pas en Irak, le pays entre les deux fleuves. note de rené)

Syria: Turkey to blame for low water levels in Euphrates

March 4, 2021 at 10:18 am | Published in: Middle East Monitor

March 4, 2021 at 10:18 am

The General Administration of Dams in Northeastern Syria has held Turkey responsible for the record low water levels in the Euphrates River and accused Ankara of cutting its water resources.

The administration said in a statement on Tuesday that the Jarabulus region of Aleppo received only 200 cubic metres of water per second in February though the average amount stipulated in previously signed agreements is 500 cubic metres per second, adding that the water level in Tishrin Lake had decreased by three metres since the beginning of February.

"Generating electricity causes a daily decrease of 4cm based on receiving 500 cubic metres of water and when irrigation is operational, more than 5cm is drained," the statement said, adding that when the water level in the Euphrates Lake is low, the generation of electricity ceases.

An officer in Tishrin Dam, Hammoud Al-Hammadi, said the decrease in water resources from the Turkish side has caused the water level in the lakes of Tishrin Dam and the Euphrates Dam to decline.

He pointed out that the sharp decline in water supplies and lake levels resulted in a decrease in water reserves, and consequently increased toxins in the water.

Al-Hammadi explained that the low water level left the drinking pumps out of service in most areas.