Whether because the fight revolves around controlling water resources, or because water is used as an instrument to win, water is having more and more a key role. Water conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) primarily deals with three major river basins: the Jordan River Basin, the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin, and the Nile River Basin. [16] In addition, the lake has a potential for cage culture of 7,000 tons/year worth of US$14 million. Both countries allege that Turkey is intentionally withholding supplies from its downstream neighbors, turning water into a weapon. As the objectives for regional development have changed significantly and the ambitions have grown in the 1970s, the original plan underwent major modifications. The birthplace of the Ancient Greek poet Lucian was lost when the dam was created. [3], The rock-fill dam undergoes deformations that are regularly and systematically monitored since 1990 with different types of sensors. The latest round of talks comes six weeks after Sudan had boycotted the ongoing negotiations. It feels wet to the touch. Turkish water disputes with its downstream neighbors dates back to 1990 when the Atatürk Dam the centerpiece of the government’s ambitious Southeastern Anatolia Project was completed. The lake provides a fisheries and recreation site. The Nile is a necessary water source in the region and Egypt has consistently objected to the dam’s construction, saying it will impact water flow. [18] 8 of the 12 fish species being caught are economically valuable. The reservoir called Atatürk lake is the third biggest in Turkey (817 km² ; 48,7 km3). However, it was Turkey in the 1930s under Kemal Ataturkthat first seized the opportunity to develop the potential of the two rivers’ water resources in a major way. The Birecik and the Karkamış Dams downstream the Atatürk Dam are constructed for the purpose of harnessing the waters released from large-scale dams and HEPPs. One of the most important legal texts on the waters of the Euphrates-Tigris river system is the protocol annexed to the 1946 Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborly Relations between Iraq and Turkey. Turkey had notified Syria and Iraq by November 1989 of her decision to fill the reservoir over a period of one month explaining the technical reasons and providing a detailed program for making up for the losses. [20], Furthermore, International Atatürk Dam Sailing Competition takes place every year in October on the lake. Restricted. Addis Ababa anticipates that this dam will generate approximately 6,000 megawatts of electricity when it is completed, that can be distributed for the needs of its population and industries. [11] Its capacity makes up around one third of the total capacity of the GAP project. The Atatürk Dam is part of the the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a large sustainable, multisector, and integrated scheme. [11][12] The flow rate of water through the tunnels is about 328 m3/s (11,600 cu ft/s), which makes one-third of the total flow of the Euphrates. The conflict over waters of the Tigris-Euphrates continues (you can listen to a story about this dispute here). Proj… Several large dam projects have engendered conflict with local peoples over the best ways to provide water supplies, protect the environment, and the rights of relocated groups to their homes. These conflicts are local, but have also attracted international attention from … [9], The HEPP of the Atatürk Dam is the biggest of a series of 19 power plants of the GAP project. Irrigation expansion within the Harran plains also increased Southeastern Anatolia's cotton production from 164,000 to 400,000 metric tons in 2001, or nearly sixty percent. The reservoir Lake Atatürk Dam, extending over an area of 817 km (315 sq mi) with a water volume of 48.7 km (63,400 million cu yd), ranks third in size in Turkey after Lake Van and Lake Tuz. The subject of salvaging cultural heritages gained importance, particularly after the inundation of Samsat.[24]. The total cost of the dam project was about US$1,250,000,000. [18], Commercially fishing in the reservoir developed to a catch of around annually 1,000 tons of some fish species with a market value of US$1.26 million. A new town with the same name, Samsat, was founded for the 2,000 people dislocated. The reservoir behind the dam will irrigate another 406,000 ha by pumping for a total of 882,000 ha. In the past decade, water disputes have not produced large‐scale global war, but regional fights and local wars often have used water as a part of a stratagem to advance political goals. Sudan’s Water Ministry announced in a statement that this week’s negotiations are crucial, “for the resumption of tripartite negotiations on Sunday, January 10 in the hope of concluding by the end of January.”, The Indian Express is now on Telegram. [15], The Atatürk Dam and the Şanlıurfa Tunnel system are two major components of the GAP project. Originating in the mountains of eastern Anatolia and flowing southwards to Syria and Iraq, the Euphrates and the Tigris are very irregular rivers, used to cause great problems each year with droughts in summer and flooding in winter. [6], Dolsar Engineering and ATA Construction, two prominent Turkish companies, signed for the building of the dam. Vaccine rollout in India: Who gets it, and how? Tags: The impact of the irrigation on the economy of the region is significant. A member of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, splashes water at Lake Assad, an enormous reservoir created by the Tabqa dam, April 29, 2017. Since then, the figure of fingerlings stocked into the lake reached around 33 million. In general, the stream varies greatly in its flow from season to season and year to year. The long-standing dispute has been a cause of concern for international observers who fear that it may increase conflict between the two nations and spill out into other countries in the Horn of Africa. The Turkish GAP project is projected to consume up to 22 km3 per year, which would significantly reduce the Syrian and Iraqi shares of the river's water. In ninety percent of the irrigated area, cotton is planted. Mapping ecological conflicts and spaces of resistance. Ethiopia continues to insist that the dam is required to meet the needs of its population and has said that downstream water supplies will not be adversely affected. I continued toward the Atatürk Dam itself. the Jordan River. Researchers believe that in addition to its domestic requirements, Ethiopia may be hoping to sell surplus electricity to neighbouring nations like Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea and South Sudan, that also suffer from electricity shortages, to generate some revenue. In 1989, the old town of Samosata (Samsat), capital of the ancient Commagene kingdom located in Adıyaman Province was flooded behind the Atatürk Dam. Is India nearing herd immunity against Covid? Once completed, the dam will be the largest of its kind in Africa, producing an expected 6,000 MW of electricity. Ethiopia’s goal is to secure electricity for its population and to sustain and develop its growing manufacturing industry. h electricity annually. The fill work for the main dam lasted from 1987 to 1990. Water pollution has also been a major problem as the reservoir has submerged hundreds of factories, mines and waste dumps and urban run-off has led to algae blooms. The long-standing conflict over water from the Cauvery River between the Indian states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has recently resurfaced in the context of drier climate conditions. The first tunnel was completed in 1995 and the other in 1996. [5], The initial development project for the southeastern region of Turkey was presented in 1970. At the forefront of this dispute are Ethiopia and Egypt, with Sudan having found itself dragged into the issue. [16] The reservoir lake is called "sea" by local people. According to a DW report, Sudan believes that the dam will reduce flooding, but is concerned about the path forward if the negotiations end at a stalemate. Turkey denies these claims, and insists it has always supplied its southern neighbors with the promised minimum of 500 m3/s (18,000 cu ft/s). As an example, the annual flow at the border with Syria ranged from 15.3 km3 (3.7 cu mi) in 1961 to 42.7 km3 (10.2 cu mi) in 1963. The dam is currently under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia on the Blue Nile. [21], With the forming of the reservoir lake, more than a hundred hamlets and villages were inundated and about 55,000 people were forced to relocate, many of them resettling in nearby communities. “water and conflict” is very broad. Egypt lies further downstream and is concerned that Ethiopia’s control over the water could result in lower water levels within its own borders. 10 towns and 156 villages are around. Joost Jongerden. [18], In order to open the region to tourism, to introduce modern sports to the local people and to integrate the social and economic progress taking place in the region with sports as a drive, a water sports festival was established in 1994, which takes place each year in September. In 1990, Turkey mobilised its forces when it cut the Euphrates to fill the Atatürk Dam, temporarily reducing water flow into Syria and Iraq by 75 per cent. [2] Since the entire GAP area was home to early civilization of the Hittites and the site of Nevalı Çori, and therefore rich in terms of historical remains, the cultural heritage of the region was a concern. Case Study 10-03: Landscape and Cultural Heritage - Border Euphrates Project, Turkey", "An Institutional Framework for Facilitating Cooperation in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin", "Water May Be Next Flashpoint In Mideast", "Turkish Water Project: Curse or Blessing? [25] The downstream neighbors protested vehemently. [22] According to other sources, the construction of the dam resulted in involuntary resettlement of between 45,000 to 53,500 people.[23]. Volume XVII. The protocol provided the control and management of the Euphrates and the Tigris depending to a large extent on the regulations of flow in Turkish source areas. 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