The War
Of Water
Rivers
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are two nearly parallel rivers that run through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The Tigris-Euphrates rivers have helped civilizations flourish in the past, is helping three countries prosper in the present and will probably aid in the development of mankind in the future. Unfortunately, there are high tensions between the Tigris-Euphrates countries. The Nile is a single river that runs through Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, but it is made up of two other rivers (the Blue Nile and the White Nile), and those two countries run through many other countries. In this page, I will talk discuss some facts about the rivers and compare them at the end.
How Are The Rivers Being Used?
Tigris-Euphrates
In Iraq, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are primarily being used to generate electricity. Since the current of the rivers is strongest in Turkey, they have taken advantage of it by building hydroelectric dams to create electricity for the citizens of Turkey. The use of the rivers in Syria and Iraq, however, Is more agricultural based. Iraq has prospered in the past few years because of the amount of farmland and irrigation that the rivers provided, but now the amount of water flowing downstream to Iraq has reduced by 80%, making it harder to farm in Iraq.
The Nile
In Ethiopia, the Nile is being used to power the Grand Renaissance Dam, which is going to increase the energy output of Ethiopia by nearly five times. In Sudan, the main use of the Nile is irrigation for the crops, with irrigation cannals coming out of the Nile to water the crops. The main use of the dam in Egypt is also agriculture, as many of the farmers living in the northern part of Egypt use the Nile Delta to grow their crops, particularly cotton. There is also the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt, which generates a lot of electricity for Egypt. The Nile is also used for transportation and tourism in most of the Nile countries, as it is easy to access for boats to get from one place to another.
Fact File: Euphrates
Source: Murat and Karasu rivers in Turkey.
Length: 2,735KM.
Countries: Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
Uses: Fishing, agriculture, hydroelectricity.
Fun Facts:
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52 species of fish live in the Euphrates!
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It is the longest river in the middle east!
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Some of the greatest battles in history took place alongside the Euphrates!
How were the rivers used in the past?
Tigris-Euphrates
Mesopotamia literally means "The land between two rivers" in ancient Greek; those two rivers were the great Tigris and Euphrates. The Mesopotamians were one of the first and greatest civilizations ever to set foot on this planet, and they wouldn't have done it without the Tigris or the Euphrates. Mesopotamia was what is now modern-day Syria and Iraq, meaning that it was quite a large civilization. There were many large and popular cities in the Mesopotamian Empire, like Babylon. How did the Mesopotamians be so successful? Well, it is because they used the two great rivers for drinking, irrigation and transportation. We should also take into account the fact that there were no dams back then, meaning that the flow of water was much stronger and that there was a lot more water for farming and irrigation. Pollution also wasn't as big of an issue back then, so the water was more drinkable
The Nile
When people say "The Nile", the thing that comes first into most people's minds is "Ancient Egypt" and "Pharaos". The ancient Egyptians literally could have never achieved what it did without the Nile. The Egyptians used the Nile for many different purposes. It was mainly used for Agriculture, as many crops were grown on the banks of the Nile. In addition to that, Paper reeds could be found growing in the Nile, which the Egyptians used to make Papyrus. The Egyptians also harvested clay from the river to create much of their pottery and ceramics, which it became quite famous for. Also, the Egyptian used the Nile to ship goods and materials across the country; the limestones which the pyramids were built out of were actually shipped from Aswan to Giza. They used boats to transport the limestones as the two cities are quite far away from each other.
Fact File: Nile
Source: The Blue Nile and White Nile.
Length: 6,853KM
countries: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Eritrea.
Uses: Fishing, agriculture, hydroelectricity.
Fun Facts:
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It is the longest river in the world!
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Its name is based on the old Greek word "Neilos", meaning valley or river valley.
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Hapi was the ancient Egyptian Nile god.
Are There Alternative Water Sources?
Turkey: Turkey has a few rivers other than the Tigris and Euphrates, such as the Yesilirmak River, the Ceyhan River and the Gediz, but the longest river in Turkey is the Kizilirmak river, which starts and ends in Turkey. It is 1,355KM long. Turkey also has access to freshwater and the Mediterranean sea.
Syria: Most of Syria's water is groundwater which comes from wells and springs. There are also two major rivers in Syria apart from the Euphrates and the Tigris; the Orontes River and the Khabur river. Parts of Syria also has access to the mediterranean sea.
Iraq: Iraq has many rivers such as the great Zab, the Little Zab and the Diyala river, but the Tigris-Euphrates is much grander than them all. Iraq's largest lake, lake TharThar, is 2,710KM2. Iraq also has access to the Persian Gulf.
Egypt: Lake Nasser, Egypt's largest lake was formed because of the water built up behind the Aswan Dam. Egypt also has the Suez Canal, which is a waterway that connects the Mediterranean sea to the red sea. Egypt has access to the Mediterranean sea and the
Ethiopia:
Sudan: There are many lakes in Sudan, such as lake Nasser. However, many of these lakes are formed by the river Nile. The east of Sudan also has access to the red sea. Although the red sea’s water can’t be used for drinking or agriculture, it can be used for fishing. The water of the red sea can also be desalinated and turned into fresh water
Fact File: Tigris
Source: Lake Hazar in Turkey.
Length: 1,850KM.
Countries: Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
Uses: Fishing, agriculture, hydroelectricity.
Fun Facts:
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55 species of fish live in the Tigris!
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Its name is based on the old Persian word "Tigra", meaning fast or arrow-like!
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The last time anyone saw a lion along the Tigris was in 1926!