ENC Blog Post

How Water Started a War - The Role of Drought in the Syrian Civil War 

In the first 5 years of the conflict over 500,000 Syrians were killed as a result of the civil unrest in the country according to CNN, who have recently released an updated editorial outlining the timeline of the event. The photo above obtained by History.com shows A man standing atop a building looking at the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, 2015. Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

By: Marcus Manzoni

Background

Since 2011 Syria has been engaged in a civil war brought on by several factors contributing to civil unrest and the ongoing political regime change in the country. While many of these triggering factors are very complex and intricate, one of the main culprits of the war was none other than water. Yes, the plain water we use every day to drink, wash our hands and brush our teeth.

According to Dr. Peter H. Gleick, a researcher at the Pacific Institute, the severe drought Syria experienced preceding the beginning of the war, was one of the most influential catalysts in initiating the Syrian Civil War. Gleick claims that because Syria has very little over freshwater to begin with, the droughts can cause significant damage to their population. Some of the most common effects brought on by these droughts are water shortages, agricultural failure, and water mismanagement. In Syria’s case, the effects of the drought result in water scarcity, lack of food availability and overall economic deterioration, thus causing massive civil unrest and the start of their civil war.

Okay, but where is the evidence?

To add evidence to his claim and to monitor the causes of the drought that he believes played a major role in starting Syria’s Civil War, Gleick collected data on Syrian agricultural irrigation and water management methods, as well as climate change in the region over the past century. 

SHEIKH GHAZI RASHAD HRIMIS TOUCHES DRIED EARTH IN THE PARCHED REGION OF RAQQA PROVINCE IN EASTERN SYRIA, NOVEMBER 2010. (PHOTO BY KHALED AL-HARIRI/REUTERS). Obtained from vice.com.

Expert Findings

Based on his research results, Gleick found that climate change in the region was that the water management practices of the Syrian people played a substantial role in causing the drought that contributed to the beginning of the civil war. The first main issue is with the Syrian irrigation system. While many of the more developed countries in the world have begun using more efficient methods of irrigation such as sprinkler or drip irrigation, the majority of Syrians have still been using ground pumping and flooding methods. While ground pumping is the method in which they retrieve the water, the flood method is how they use it to water their crops. The flood method is defined by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as a simple and cheap way to water a large number of crops and is often used in less developed parts of the world. However, in the process of using the flood irrigation method, a large portion of the water used to flood the fields is wasted. Furthermore, the civil unrest in Syria had caused intentional targeting of water systems as a weapon, which also lessened the water supply even further. In a country with an already scarce water supply, bad water management practices and human involvement as such only make the situation worse.

The other contribution to the drought is a result of climate change in the region. Gleick found that over the past few decades, drought frequency and magnitudes have drastically increased in the region. The likely causes of the droughts were increased temperatures, less rainfall and significantly less surface runoff (a 25-55% reduction) from the Tigris and Euphrates River.

Why is this Significant?

As long as Syrians continue their current practices, the issues regarding their water supply can only possibly get worse. As a result of the increased droughts brought on by climate change in the region, it is likely that water shortages will continue to increase in the upcoming years. As mentioned above, not having enough water can lead to a plethora of issues including nationwide thirst, lack of food production from not being able to water crops, and financial hardships for all the citizens involved in agriculture.

If we stop climate change, we can stop the drought, right?

While there are many things people can do to combat climate change, it is unlikely that we can make significant positive changes to Syria’s climate in a short amount of time to combat the droughts and put an end to the conflict. That is why the best solutions for Syria is to restructure their agricultural system and to change their irrigation practices to more efficient methods. Syria can no longer sustain ground pumping and flooding methods and if they do not make changes soon, the country and its people will continue to suffer water shortages and the fallout associated with them.

Conclusion
While the Syrian Civil War has many root causes, it is undeniable that water shortages have played a significant role in initiating the conflict. Although recent climate change and the increasing number of droughts may take a long time to fix, there are things Syrians can do right now to increase their water supply and ease tensions throughout the country. Adapting to newer and more efficient methods of obtaining and distributing water is the best course of action to increase Syria's water supply and even create a sustainable supply for years to come. There is no guarantee that having more water will end all conflict in Syria but getting water to the people who need it is the first step in healing the country.