If I could I would travel back in time and talk to the leaders in Turkey. I would begin by explaining the current situation we are in. Turkey currently only has 1,600 cubic meters of drinkable water per year per person. Compared to countries considered water rich who have 8,000-10,000 cubic meters of drinkable water per person per year. It is estimated that this will decline to 1,000 cubic meters of drinkable water by 2023. Though in comparison to other Middle Eastern countries that have an average of 900 cubic meters of drinkable water per person per year, Turkey is water rich.

The blame is not fully placed on Turkey as a government but also on climate change. The problem is a combination of the governmental planning, societal growth and climate change. Urbanization and industrialization is part of the problem when it comes to global warming and climate change so the problem is almost complete circle. In 2014 winter rainfall in Turkey had only reached one third of the normal levels.

As the population grows in Turkey so does the amount of space needed to live. Urbanization has taken over wetlands, forests, fields and other areas for water resources. But as the population grows, so does the amount of water needed.

Re-routing water from sources such as the Melen river could be a possibility but not a sustainable one. This would just drain another ecosystem of its resources. Recycling water could potentially increase water but people and the government would need to be trained properly on this for the safety of the population. I think in a government like Turkey, still becoming industrialized and urbanized it would be hard to implement such things like green habits such as recycling water because they are so far from that point as a society.

I would want to have the policies that were implemented at the specific time I was referencing. Not only the policies on water usage, and or resources, but also any policies for the environment or policies that had visible harmful effects on the environment. I would want to know specifics on where the government and society are at in comparison to countries that are implementing policies that are fighting climate change. I would also want to know how surround countries are affecting the water resources in the specific country, Turkey if I continued with this as a starting point. I think I would be able to find some of this information through database and research articles. Also since most of the information is government related there should be records of most of it.

 

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.