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Euphrates River Deterioration
2023-04-04
Prof. Dr. Akram Abdul Latif Hassan
Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre – University of Anbar
The Euphrates is one of the large rivers in southwest Asia and the largest river in the Arabian plate, and the river originates from Turkey, the Euphrates receives most of its water through rainfall, and melting snow. The waters of the Euphrates River rise especially and significantly during the months from April to May. It then flows into the Arabian Gulf, on its way through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The Euphrates River enters Syrian territory at the city of Jarablus, and exits it at the city of Albu Kamal. It enters the territory of Iraq at the city of Al-Qaim in Anbar province and is united in Iraq by the Tigris River to form the Shatt Al-Arab, whose waters flow 90 miles (120 km) to flow into the Arabian Gulf. The length of the Euphrates River from its source (upstream) in Turkey to its Downstream in the Shatt Al-Arab in Iraq is about 2940 km, of which 1176 km in Turkey, 610 km in Syria and 1160 km in Iraq.
Many civilizations developed on the banks of the Euphrates River during ancient times, and one of their most important civilizations was the Mesopotamian Empire, which was part of the so-called Fertile Crescent. The city of Babylon, considered the most important city in the ancient world, was built along the Euphrates River. Although the Euphrates River is still one of the most important rivers around the world, it has faced many problems that have negatively affected it, the fertile soil turned into an arid, dry land. The Euphrates River is mentioned in the Christian and Islamic religions, but in Christianity the verse from the Book of Genesis mentioned that the Euphrates is one of the rivers of Paradise, then it was mentioned in the Islamic religion, so the meaning of Furat came in the Holy Qur'an ¤Fresh and Sweet ¥ (53, Al-Furqan(, in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: (Sihan and Jihan and Euphrates and the Nile all of the rivers of Paradise). Finally, despite the great importance of the Euphrates River in the Middle East, today it faces many problems resulting from neglect, such as pollution caused by the diversion of wastewater into it.
Since the dawn of time, the banks of the Euphrates River have been the birthplace of the innovation of irrigated agriculture about 12,000 years ago. There is no final agreement to share the Euphrates water between the riparian countries, namely Turkey, Syria and Iraq, but the Syrian-Turkish interim agreement of 1987 regulates quotas between Syria and Turkey, under which Syria obtains a flow rate of at least 500 cubic meters per second of the water of the Euphrates River, while Syria agreed with Iraq in 1989 to release 58% of the water of the Euphrates River imported to it from Turkey, while the remaining share for Syria is 42%.
Polluted sewage is the basis for the water of the Euphrates River, and its residues affect the quality of water and threaten its accumulation with a greater impact, especially in light of its size and the concentration of pollutants in the water resulting from municipal and industrial activities that are raised, as population growth contributes to the increase of various pollutants to fresh water sources. As for agricultural drainage, it is the drainage resulting from the remnants of irrigation operations and soil washing of reclaimed lands, which carries salinity and various chemical fertilizers added to the land. Agricultural operations on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, both inside and outside Iraq, have led to a steady increase in the salinity of the waters of both the Tigris and Euphrates. The deterioration in water quality is exacerbated by droughts, which are also a major contributing factor to the desertification of agricultural lands.
The salinity along the Euphrates is higher than along the Tigris and its tributaries due to local geological features, land management, agricultural irrigation, and Euphrates water drainage practices. Total dissolved solids are nearly quadrupling along the Euphrates River between Husaybah and Nasiriyah, according to the average monthly data on water quality available by the Ministry of Environment. Waterborne diseases are also widespread due to drinking contaminated water. Reports from the Ministry of Environment in 2009 indicate that bacteriological pollution in water supplies varies between governorates. It ranges from 2.5% to 30%, at a rate of 16%, exceeding the official specifications and standards for drinking water in Iraq and the World Health Organization's drinking water quality guidelines. However, databases on other pollutants, including organic and inorganic matter, pathogens and bacteria, are limited in Iraq, making it difficult to fully describe the sources and extent of contamination, and to realize changes that could occur in the future. The health risks related to water resource pollution have become more pronounced in Iraq over the past decades, as Basra province, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet in the Shatt al-Arab near the city of Basra, has been a hotspot for water quality problems. The combination of reduced river runoff, high salinity and increased levels of agricultural and industrial pollution as well as wastewater in Iraq has repeatedly led to health crises in the city. The most important indicators affecting water quality are: pH, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, sodium, sulfates, chlorides, total solids, electrical conductivity and alkalinity, Which is used for comparison with the Iraqi standard for drinking water. Data from Iraqi Ministry of Environment monitoring stations was collected to determine the impact of pollutants carried by the river along the distance, starting from the area of entry of the Euphrates River into Iraq at Al-Qaim station on the Iraqi-Syrian border until its confluence with the Tigris River at Garma Ali station in Basra governorate. Where it was found that the values of physical and chemical properties exceeded the permissible limits according to the Iraqi standard for drinking water. The results of the water quality indicators also showed that the water quality of the Euphrates River is heading towards a bad situation, especially after the Manathira station due to the impact of human activities, such as sewage and industrial waste. Thus, the raw water of the river will need more treatments to become drinkable and pose a challenge to the use of water for various other purposes.
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