Renovation of Qanats in Syria

J. Wessels and R.J.A. Hoogeveen. Paper presented at the UNU/UNESCO/ICARDA international workshop ‘Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands, application of indigenous knowledge for coastal drylands’, September 2002

This paper describes the research and action undertaken by an international research team at International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) that conducted a nation-wide survey of Syrian qanats in 2001. Within the framework of the United Nations University (UNU) project on traditional water management, some of the most important qanats sites were re-visited in August 2002. It was found that some have considerably decreased in flow during the last half-year and are at the verge of extinction. Ironically, qanats that have been flowing for 1500 years have been drying up over the last 15 years. What is the benefit of this sustainable water supply system in this time of ecological farming, increasing environmental awareness and within a changing social and economic environment?