Water is one of our world’s most precious resources, and unfortunately one of our most pressing environmental concerns of the time. Humans will always need water so it’s important to know how to utilize it and do so correctly in order to conserve it. By comparing water systems from different times and places, we can gain insight by comparing old systems to see what worked for past communities to help develop future plans. We can also learn what aspects of past water systems failed and why, to know what to avoid. If I could rewind time, I would try giving advice about water resources particularly to Turkey and maybe Syria as well. First, before anything else I would tell them how necessary decent water laws and legislation are to a successful water system. Water laws provide economic stability and security to those who use water, and they also induce efficient water use. Another useful concept I found was the three irrigator principles from Valencia: the concept of proportional distribution, the concept of individual responsibility to the community, and the concept of collective responsibility by self government. Establishing a tradition of cooperation and group work to produce a solid irrigation system would be helpful advice, especially with all of this violence sparked by global warming, climate change and lack of water causing failed farming. I see this practice even today in my father’s neighborhood, where all of the neighbors take turns tending to the irrigation canal that they all water their fields with.

As for different types of water systems to try, “Did ISIL Arise Partly Because of Climate Change?” informed that the sea level in Syria will rise and flood the low-lying Egyptian delta. This seems like a logical place to use a tide mill, which was discussed in “Where Has the Water Come From?”. A tide mill makes a connection to salt water from the sea. It works by impounding water at high tide behind a barrier, so when the tide rises, water enters a tidal millpond through a sluice gate. There are several constraints to this method, but the Syrian people would be able to make use of their natural high tide.

Something I would advise the countries to change would be Turkey not use dams anymore, as they are posing heavy environmental concerns in the region. Perhaps they should try to rely on rain fall as little as possible and instead try for groundwater through the use of a qanat, as an option.

I would hope that the leaders of these regions would listen to this advice and find it worthy of implementing, but I could see how they would easily be stubborn and decide to do nothing. in the article “Did ISIL Arise Partly Because of Climate Change?” it says that Syrian officials are “more interested in lining their pockets than in using state resources to address the water crisis”. That attitude mixed with the general atmosphere of violence recently could prove for little cooperation from officials.

Three additional things I would like to know for a formal report are:

• How much water is being used on average per person in these regions
• The irrigation administration set ups in these regions and the current laws and enforcement
• More about the differing climate and water availability

I would look for answers to these questions in peer reviewed articles and other research of the same validity and reliability.

 

With the rise of the Islamic State, civil wars, the largest refugee crisis in recent history, and governments that are alarmingly both inefficient and corrupt, current conditions in the Middle East are dreary, to say the least. Scientists and historians are now finding that many of these problems either stemmed from, or are exacerbated by, the water conflicts and shortages that have plagued this region. If I could go back in time and give advice to Middle Eastern leaders about water resources, I would warn them about fighting over their water sources and teach them ways to conserve water. The countries I would address include Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. They would be told about ways to utilize canals, wells, and water pipelines to disperse water from places where it is more plentiful to where it is scarce, as well as store water from the wet seasons to be used in times of drought. I would also tell them about ways to recycle waste water and the technology used to desalinate water from the ocean. Lastly, and most importantly, I would advise them to implement policies that regulate the amount of water people can use to prevent the overuse of important aquifers.

The current conflicts in the Middle East show that they have not been doing much right regarding their water resources. I don’t think there is anything that I would say they did right in this situation that I would keep the same. While the dams that these countries have built have the potential to be valuable resources both socially and economically, they are instead used to hoard water (in the case of Turkey) or as a dangerous weapon (in the case of the Mosul Dam).

While I would like to believe that the leaders would heed my recommendations, I have a feeling that they would be too prideful and rather take my suggestions as offensive to their way of life. Even today, leaders in the Middle East tend to be stubborn and not heed the warnings of the rest of the world.

Three pieces of information I would need from the past to turn this into a formal research paper:

• The water resource technology available to these countries during this time
• The climate and weather patterns in these countries
• Detailed reports on the amount of water being used per person

I would find this information through the on-campus library and its online resources. I would look for peer reviewed articles to ensure that my resources are credible.