Water issue might lead to tension between Turkey, Syria
The BBC said that the wave of drought in the basin of the Tigris and the Euphrates might lead to a tension to due the shortage of water resources in the region.
The correspondent of the BBC in Ankara said that the Turkish Authorities have expressed its concern of the continuous drought season in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers area, adding that the continuity of such a condition means that the Turkish authorities will close all Turkish dams which means that Syria will not get any amounts of waters from the Euphrates.
The correspondent added that these developments will lead to opening the file once again between Syria and Turkey.
The correspondent said that the director of the Turkish national water establishment said clearly on Saturday that if drought continues in the region Turkey will be obliged to close the dams in order to generate electricity, which means that Ankara will not leave any amount of the Euphrates waters to Syria.
The Turkish official noted that the amounts of waters held behind the Turkish dams will be enough only for one month for the electricity generation stations.
He added that there is a drastic recession in the rainfall rate that reached 40% and that the waters held behind the five dams constructed on the Euphrates which used to reach 80 billion cubic meters has been reduced to 57 billion cubic meters, noting that of the drought continues the same way for five years, it will be then a serious threat to the region.
The correspondent added that the statements of the Turkish official came just two days after statements made by the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara to one of the Turkish TV stations in which he reminded of the Turkish obligations to permit 500 cubic per second from the waters of the Euphrates to Syria. This amount does not exceed at the meantime 200 cubic meter per second.
