The War
Of Water
Euphrates, Tigris
And The Nile
Aliyy Eloraby 8A
Rivers
They are the cradles of many civilizations, both past and present. Without the Nile, the ancient Egyptians never would have gotten fertile land to grow crops, and without the Euphrates or the Tigris, the Mesopotamians would not have existed. Governments rely on rivers for generating electricity, farmers use them for agriculture and fishermen use them for fishing. Rivers can also be used for transportation, allowing boats to carry people and goods from one place to another. This website will talk about 3 of the world's most majestic rivers; The Nile, Euphrates and the Tigris. It will also discuss the conflicts occurring over these rivers, and possible solutions for these conflicts.
Euphrates
The Euphrates is a river that flows through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The total length of the Euphrates river is around 1,740 miles. The Euphrates is formed by two smaller rivers, the Murat and the Karasu rivers, and it joins up with the Tigris in Iraq to form the Shatt Al-Arab and continues it's journey to the persian gulf.
Tigris
The Tigris is a river that flows through Syria, Turkey and Iraq. The total length of the Tigris river is around 1,180 miles. The source of the Tigris river is lake Hazar, which is a small mountain lake in Turkey. In Iraq, the Tigris joins up with the Euphrates to form the Shatt Al-Arab and empty out into the Persian Gulf.
Conflicts
Countries usually do not like to share their resources with other countries, and that includes water. There are/ were conflicts over nearly every water source at some point in history. With rivers, the countries who are bordering the river usually fight over who owns the river. For example, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are considering a war over who should own the Nile. Unfortunately, finding solutions or arbitrations can be difficult as all the countries have to agree on the solution. However, it is possible to find a solution with the help of other organizations like the UN or the African Union.