The Tigris and Euphrates rivers have played a crucial role in Middle Eastern populations since the very first human civilizations, but now the states that utilize them are threatened by competition over a dwindling water supply because of climate change and overuse. With a combined flow of 84 billion cubic meters of water per year and running through three different countries, the importance of these rivers to the ‘cradle of civilization’ cannot be overstated as they are millions of people’s only or main source of fresh water. Needless to say, this region has a long and complex story in regards to hydropolitics. These rivers have also faced drought and reduced flow in the past, however in an ever complicated and dynamic world along with the threat of anthropogenic climate change, this region faces one of the worst hydropolitical crises in history in a place with an already tenuous balance of power.
The key players in this crisis are Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers originate in the Turkish mountains and flow partly through Syria and chiefly through Iraq, supplying nearly all of Iraq’s fresh water with 71% coming from Turkey alone. Currently the laws around these rivers grant a state complete control of the water within its borders, creating a horrific power imbalance between Turkey and Iraq. This imbalance manifests in multiple ways such as Turkish pollution flowing downstream into Iraq and Turkey having a higher potential for hydroelectric power, but the main issue comes with the supply of water itself. Since the 1970’s Turkey has built over 20 dams on the Euphrates river including the 5th largest in the world, causing only a quarter of the normal flow of the river to enter Iraq. Furthermore Turkish dams on the Tigris river have reduced the flow so much that residents of Baghdad can now cross it on foot. This combined with self-destructive tactics by Saddam Hussein and the residual effects of the Iraq war have had disastrous effects on the Iraqi water supply. Reduced flow causes pollution that would normally be carried away by the river to build up and poison the water, as well as saltwater to flow upstream and kill crops and freshwater fish. Even with millions of Iraqis suffering from drought and polluted waters and the country’s existence itself threatened, it seems that Turkey couldn’t be happier with the situation, with multiple new dams already under construction and even more planned for the future. It seems that in the current state of the region, Iraq’s fresh water supply is completely at the mercy of Turkey.
“Turkey’s Dam-Building Spree Continues, At Steep Ecological Cost.” Yale E360, https://e360.yale.edu/features/turkeys-dam-building-spree-continues-at-steep-ecological-cost Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.
Arab Center Washington DC. “Water Politics in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin.” Arab Center Washington DC, 30 May 2023, https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/water-politics-in-the-tigris-euphrates-basin/.
Isaiah. “Climate Change and Water Scarcity Are Turning Iraq into a Land of Turmoil.” The Century Foundation, 30 Aug. 2023, https://tcf.org/content/commentary/climate-change-and-water-scarcity-are-turning-iraq-into-a-land-of-turmoil/.
“Water In Crisis – Spotlight Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.” The Water Project, https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-turkey-syria-iraq. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.