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Syrian Water Resources between the Present and the Future
Water scarcity is one of the main challenges facing Middle Eastern countries. A typical country in this respect is Syria. This paper estimates projections for the available water resources, water balance, and available water per capita (AWPC) in Syria until 2050 in relation to possible future climate changes, national development agendas, water constraints, and water management alternatives. Results show that the AWPC is likely to be reduced by about half up to 2050. Climate change and population growth will have a huge influence on water availability during the coming decades. However, effective water management can to a great extent counterbalance these negative effects. The implementation of modern irrigation practices and the reuse of domestic wastewater, for example, can save up to 400–800 million cubic meters in 2050. If rainwater harvesting systems are implemented water availability can be utilized much more efficiently. Consequently, it appears that there are reasons to be alarmed but also cautiously optimistic regarding Syria's water availability. This, however, depends on the implementation of good development practices, integrated management and public participation at all levels.
| Creator | Khaldoon A. Mourad1 and Ronny Berndtsson2: 1Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, Box 118, SE-22100, Lund, Sweden and Ministry of Environment, Syria. 2Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Corresponding author email: khaldoonmourad@yahoo.com (email: khaldoonmourad@yahoo.com) |
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| Publisher | Khaldoon A. Mourad1 and Ronny Berndtsson2 |
| Type of document | Report |
| Rights | Public |
| File link |
http://www.la-press.com/syrian-water-resources-between-the-present-and-the-future-article-a2926 |
| File link local |
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| Source of information | La-press.com ; Journal: Air, Soil and Water Research |
| Keyword(s) | Water scarcity, water balance, climate change, water availability, wastewater reuse, rainwater harvesting |
| Subject(s) | ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INFRASTRUCTURES , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY |
| Relation | http://www.emwis.net/countries/fol749974/sy |
| Geographical coverage | Syria, |
