The birthplace of civilization is drying up:
The Euphrates river will be completely gone by 2040 due to human activity and climate change.
Unless you live in one of those hot deserts, chances are high that streams,
lakes and rivers in your area are the major sources of water for your community,
even if you don't realize it. Euphrates is the river that is said to have watered the
biblical garden of Aden and helped give birth to civilization itself.
For more than 6000 years, the Euphrates River has brought prosperity to the areas of modern
day Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia and has always been the major source for
water in the region with growth and fertility unlike anything the area has ever witnessed.
Both Euphrates and Tigris made Mesopotamia the cradle of civilization thousands of years ago.
But now that river is drying up! So what is with Euphrates now? Stay tuned to find out…
Most of humanity's greatest civilizations arose alongside the banks of great rivers and
today in the Middle East. The mighty Euphrates river, along with its sister channel Tigress,
is the main River Valley that fostered the development of several ancient civilizations
of Sumer and Mesopotamia. The Euphrates is the longest river in the Middle East and its
headwaters are in southeastern Turkey, from where it travels through central
Syria and then the length of Iraq. 200 miles northwest of Persian Gulf,
the Euphrates joins with Tigris, forming the Shat Al Arab before emptying into the Gulf.
The Euphrates River has three riparian countries- Iraq, Turkey and Syria and
the basin is distributed among five countries with a total population of 23 million. Most of
the Euphrates stream flow originates from precipitation in the Armenian Highlands,
with contributions by riparian countries but their contribution is generally not
significant. Historically, the natural flow of Euphrates at the Syrian Turkish border was
around 30 billion cubic meters. But records over the last 70 years show a negative trend which
clearly indicates a decrease in mean annual flow to about 25 billion cubic meters. The regulation
of the flow of the Euphrates river is a classic example of how humans could impact river regime.
With the construction of several large water engineering structures in upstream Turkey and
Syria the Euphrates flow regime has shifted towards less pronounced seasonal variations.
The water used in the Euphrates’ Basins in Iraq, Syria and Turkey focuses on hydropower,
irrigation and drinking water supply, but agriculture consumes the largest share of
water. By largest share, we mean more than 70%. As a result, water quality has become a
serious issue of the Euphrates River. Return flows from the agricultural drainage affects
the water and aquatic life. Combine that with the dumping of untreated sewage into
the river and its tributaries, this now becomes a recipe for disaster.
The Euphrates River receives most of its water in the form of rainfall and melting
snow which then results in peak volumes during the months April through May.
The discharge in these two months alone account for 36 percent of the
total annual discharge of the river. The discharge regime of Euphrates has also
changed ever since the construction of the very first dams in the 1970s.
The river was also subjected to two bilateral accords. An agreement between Turkey and Syria
specifies the minimum average flow at the Syrian Turkish border and an agreement between Iraq
and Syria which determines the allocation of Euphrates water between those two countries.
Riparian countries hold conflicting positions on the international water
law and terminology that have prevented a basin wide agreement, with the exception of a protocol
for technical and Economic Cooperation that was signed way back in 1980. This
resulted in the creation of the Joint Technical committee, but that is no longer operational.
What's alarming the citizens of the riparian countries is the fact that the river is drying
which will lead to some irreversible consequences. Countries like Iraq have
always been dealing with several natural disasters. Iraq's government and Kurdish
farmers accused Turkey for withholding water in dams, dramatically reducing the flow into Iraq.
The river was once susceptible to regional flooding, but thanks to
several dams that have been built along the Euphrates in the past 50 years,
the water flow is now regulated. The Euphrates is about 1700 miles or 2700 kilometers long and
it receives most of its waters from winter rains and snowfalls in the mountains. The
rest of the land that Euphrates flows through is dry. It is also extremely hot during the summer.
These regions are habitable only because of the Euphrates and Tigris despite the
harsh climate and the water from the river will also be used for irrigation of nearby farmland.
Farmers use water from Euphrates to grow olives, tobacco, grains, dates and several other crops.
This river played a significant role in the history, culture and economy of the region for
thousands of years. This is the single most important source of water for agriculture,
irrigation and hydraulic electric power in the region, where the water from this body is used
to irrigate crops, generate electricity and support several other industries
that rely on water and electricity. Throughout history, it has also been a major trade route,
with boats and barges using the river to transport goods and people. It has
also played a very important role in the development of trade and commerce in the region.
The river is also an important cultural and historical symbol in the region,
as the region has been home to some of the world's earliest civilizations, such as the Sumerians and
Babylonians and played a significant role in the religions of the region. During the ancient times,
Euphrates was home to a number of powerful civilizations. Babylon is one of the earliest
civilizations in the world and they settled along the Euphrates and now what is in southern Iraq.
The Babylonians ruled the region in the 1st and 2nd century BC and built their
capital city in the banks of Euphrates. The City of Babylon was also a very
important center for trade and culture, and even today it is remembered for its
impressive architectural achievements, such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The region is also an important habitat for so many species of plants and animals because it
supports a diverse ecosystem. Both the Tigris and Euphrates form a great river system by being an
alluvial salt marsh eco region of the Middle East. The rivers also have several small tributaries
that feed into the shallow of freshwater lakes, swamps and marshes, all surrounded by desert.
Euphrates also flows through a number of distinct vegetation zones. But the areas
occupied by humans have significantly degraded the landscapes and patches of
original vegetation even though some of them still remain. Several government reports have
already warned that both the Tigris and Euphrates could go completely dry by 2040.
The hydrology of these marshes is extremely important to the ecology of
the entire Upper Persian Gulf, an area known as the cradle of civilization,
all thanks to its rich ancient history.
The river also played a major role in conflicts and wars. It has been the site for numerous
invasions as different empires and civilizations have sought to control its water and trade routes.
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So what would happen if this river dries up completely?
Well, one of the immediate consequences of the Euphrates drying up is the shortage of water for
agriculture. Euphrates has always been a very important source of irrigation for the crops in
the region and if that source is no more, many farmers would be unable to grow their crops.
This would result in a decrease in food production and potentially result in shortages and higher
prices for food which would also result in inflation. It will also have a negative impact
on the local economy, as many people in the region only rely on agriculture for their livelihood,
so decrease in crop production will lead to unemployment and economic hardship.
Drying up of Euphrates could also affect industries that rely on the river for
hydroelectric power. It is already used to generate electricity through hydroelectric
dams and a decrease in water levels could result in a decrease in electricity production.
This could also have a ripple effect on other industries that rely on electricity,
such as transportation and manufacturing. Euphrates is also a very important cultural
and historical symbol in the region which means drying of the river could have a
negative impact on tourism. The river has also played a significant role in
the history of the region and many people visit the place just to learn about its
ancient cities and sites along the river. These sites will now become less attractive
to tourists and could potentially result in a decrease in tourism revenue for the region.
This is a serious problem because drought has reduced the supply of water in the region.
The ecological awareness in the region is also very low, at least when you look at
the general public. Rivers are still very important to the modern day communities,
just like it has always been ever since humans started living as colonies and
they will continue to be integral to humankind's agricultural societies.
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