Thursday, January 26, 2012
Response to "End of a River? by Jonathan Waterman"
The Euphrates River route runs from Turkey through Syria, and then finally through Iraq. There has always been issues with the river because of the unsuitable, dry climate, but in recent years the river has almost completely dried up. Because Iraq is the last country the Euphrates River runs through, it is left with the least and most polluted water. Iraqis are trying to sanction Turkey and Syria for stealing their water and building damns to limit their resources. The water is rerouted to reach the farmlands of Syria and Turkey. This has been a major problem recently because of the development in the three countries.There has been tension because of this issue between the three countries. It is one of Iraq's only freshwater sources and the river is so important that even scriptures and old testaments state that if the Euphrates will ever dry up, it will be doomsday. It can be seen that the issue of damming and rerouting water sources is not just a local problem, but all over the world. Freshwater is essential for life and necessary for growth, so it easy a resource very well demanded.
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Its pretty crazy that Turkey and Syria would completely neglect Iraqi pleas to share water from the Euphrates. Both countries have even built dams to redirect more water to their country. With the Euphrates being one of the only freshwater sources supplying Iraq, it would not be a surprise to see some sort of action taken by their own government. After reading Sandra Postel's article, my assumptions that countries with more water would not share with those with less, were confirmed. Countries are much more concerned with taking care of their own citizens than making sure everyone has access to water.
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