Upstream-Downstream:
Dams, marshes and politics on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
The issue:
· Transboundary management of rivers, watersheds and other water supplies is immensely challenging.
o The natural geographical and management unit of water, the watershed, strains both institutional and legal capabilities often past capacity.
o ‘Equitable use’ is the concern of upstream states; it permits consumption and production throughout the system, not acknowledging the downstream effects of upstream use.
o ‘Obligation not to cause appreciable harm’ is the concern of downstream states; it implies that they should receive water of the same quality that upstream states do, which would in all likelihood place substantial constraints on upstream states’ abilities to pursue their interests.
· We all live downstream.
o When investigating water issues, the inputs and outputs differ based on the water source and where you are on that source.
o Look at the “problem” in a systemic way.
§ i.e. If there’s no water in the river, look upstream and ask why.
o Look at solutions in a systemic way as well.
The Marshes of Iraq, the Dams of Turkey
At the dawn of the new millennium, the tragic loss of the Mesopotamian marshlands stands out as one of the world’s greatest environmental disasters. Dams and drainage schemes have transformed one of the finest wetlands, the fabled Eden of the Fertile Crescent that has inspired humanity for millennia, into salt-encrusted desert. The ecological life-support system of a distinct indigenous people dwelling in a rare water-world of dense reed beds and teeming wildlife has collapsed. Humanity’s impact on the planet’s fragile ecosystems could not be more dramatically illustrated. This Mesopotamian story is yet another wake-up call alerting us to the fraying fabric of spaceship earth. We are again reminded that we need to act now to restore ecosystems on a global scale.
-UNEP, 2001
· Immense dewatering of Marshes in southeastern Iraq.
· Global media accounts full share of blame to Saddam Hussein, mobilizing “solutions” that target his regime’s actions.
· Meanwhile…
o … water levels continue to drop, due to regional drought and hydro-development in Turkey.
o … water quality continues to diminish, due to reduced water levels and end of the spring flood cycle.
o … nobody is talking to former residents about what they want.
The future survival of the marshes must, therefore, be in question merely as a result of the changes which have occurred, or are likely to occur, in the upper parts of the basin in Turkey, Syria and Iraq… Given the political standing of Saddam Hussein in the West it is not surprising that many Western commentators have placed all the blame on Iraq for the potential disruption of the ecology of the marshes of the Shatt al-Arab. This is, however, a rather extreme view of the situation as the future of the marshes has already been threatened by the major new irrigation works in the upper part of the basin. In reality, the Iraqi actions have merely exacerbated what was already a critical situation.
-Beaumont, 1998