NUR EL-AHMED

Raqqa- The recent drop in the water level of the Euphrates River has affected agriculture and social life in North and East Syria, said Gufran Abdussalam, Co-chair of the Agriculture and Irrigation Council of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

On July 17, 1987, an agreement on the division of water of the Euphrates River was signed by Türkiye and Syria. According to the agreement, Syria's share is 500 cubic meters of water per second; however, the Turkish state has reduced Syria's share of the Euphrates River water since 2017.

The storage capacity of the Euphrates Dam, also known as the Tabqa Dam, is 14 billion cubic meters; however, the dam has lost four billion cubic meters due to the drop in the water flow. The maximum level of the Euphrates Dam was 304 meters above sea level; however, this level has dropped to 297,38. The water shortage has affected 25 power generation units providing power to the region. The water inflow from Türkiye does not exceed 250 cubic meters per second, which is not sufficient to cover the need of drinking water and irrigation while Syria’s share is 500 cubic meters of water per second.

Water policy of the Turkish state

The Turkish state uses water as a weapon against North and East Syria, said Gufran Abdussalam. “Türkiye has violated the agreement by preventing the flow of 500 cubic meters of water per second to Syria. Recently, the water level of the dam has reduced due to the use of pond water for irrigation and power. Due to power shortages, we use fuel for power production.”

Due to the drop in the water of the Euphrates River, the Euphrates Dam Authority has been working on finding alternatives such as building solar power plants, natural gas-fired power plants and seawater treatment plants.

Gufran Abdussalam called on the international community and international organizations to put pressure on Türkiye to comply with the agreement. “If this crisis continues, it will pose a threat to the people of the region.”