Waters will be completely dry if drought continues in Damascus four more years
Syria, Economics, 7/27/2001

News reports talking about the water crises in Syria said that water sources in Damascus will dry completely if the current drought will continue for more four years. The reports considered that the main choices to settle the crises is desalinization of the sea waters and regional cooperation.

According to experts Syria finds herself with the beginning of the new Millennium before the challenge of increasing its water resources which are no more able to meet the economic requirements nor the needs of the increasing population.

The professor of water engineering at Damascus university Shebli al-Shami said that " the year 2001 is the year of water balance, which means the revenues are equal to consumed amounts of waters" approximately 20 billion cubic meters of waters per year.

Syria of which 70% is a desert land has been exposed to increasing water shortage since three years that will affect the reservoirs of ground-waters. This crisis has been retreated in the capital Damascus following a water consumption monitoring system based on cutting waters between 18 and 20 hours daily.

The capital which is inhabited by 4 million persons needs to 750,000 cubic meters of waters daily but does not get in this part of the year only 317,000 cubic meters daily, according to the Syrian Arab daily Tishreen, quoting Adeeb Zein al-Abidin, the director general of the al-Feijah establishment which runs al-Feijah spring ( to the West of Damascus).

Tishreen added that the al-Feijah spring which feeds Damascus has been dried.

Al-Shami added that water crisis has been escalated with the population increase. He noted that number of the Syrian population increased from 6 million in 1970 to 17 million at the meantime. Official sides expect their number to reach 24 million by the year 2010.

Al-Shami said among the urgent measures needed in this regard are " consumption guidance, treating the leakage of waters from the old water pipelines as well as guidance of water use in agriculture."

Previous Stories:
  US expert: Water will be either a devasting source of international friction of a hopeful occasion for international cooperation   (7/25/2001)
  Two electricity grid agreements between Syria and Lebanon   (7/20/2001)
  Water shortage in Jordan   (7/11/2001)

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