THE

EUPHRATES-TIGRIS RIVER
SYSTEM A CONFLICT ABOUT
THE POWER OF WATER
River Systems and Conflict

Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

List of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Conflicts affecting the river
3. A current major conflict
4. Does ISIS play a role in this conflict?
5. How is the river affected?
6. What/Who is affected?
7. Major causes
8. What can be done?

Key:
Green: Introduction

Red: Main part (Talking about the conflict)

Purple: Summary (What can be done to help, advices etc.)

List of Annexes
Annex 1: Map of the Euphrates-Tigris river system
Annex 2: Map of the Euphrates-Tigris river system that shows the dams built
Annex 3: Picture (The war is not about oil but more about water)


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Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

The Euphrates-Tigris river system

The Euphrates-Tigris river system consists of two individual rivers; the Euphrates river and the Tigris
river. The Euphrates river is 2800km long, has its source in Murat Su, Turkey and ends by Al-Qurnah.
This is also where the 1850km long Tigris river ends. Its mouth is in Lake Hazar, Turkey. Al-Qurnah is
a small town in southern Iraq and the Euphrates and Tigris river flow together there. The new river
from that point on is called Shatt al-Arab. As the map below shows, the Euphrates rivers source is
actually where two main tributaries flow together. Those two tributaries are the Karasu and the
Murat river. The area of the river basin is 35.600 km2 and both of the rivers begin in Turkey, then
flow through Syria and Iraq and in the end they flow on the border between Iraq and Iran.

Annex 1

Conflicts affecting the river system have existed for a long time
Ever since the mid 1970s, there have been some conflicts and issues between mainly Syria and Iraq,
but also Turkey. Because Turkey started building dams and hydroelectric power plants for their
industry and agriculture the water supply in Iraq and Syria was limited. This was part of the Anatolia
Development Project (also called GAP) that started in 1977 which is a project in which 22 dams and
19 hydroelectric power plants should be built. This reduced the water that flows into Syria by 40%
and the water that flows into Iraq by 80%.
One could maybe first think that Iraq and Syria would be fighting against Turkey for the water but
also Iraq and Syria are fighting against each other for the power of their limited water supply.

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Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

A current major conflict
This is also a major conflict at the moment. Both of those countries always have had extreme water
shortages because of for example their dry weather conditions. But because more and more dams
have been built to use the river water for example for industries, agriculture, electricity, water
storages etc. the water shortage was even higher in Iraq and Syria.
The following map shows some dams that have been built and affected the water supply in Iraq and
Syria.

Annex 2

From the map we can also obtain that the conflict is not just BETWEEN the different countries. It is
also WITHIN groups of ONE INIVIDUAL country. This is supported by a statement from Michael
Stephen who said:
Control of water supplies gives strategic control over both cities and countryside. We are seeing a
battle for control of water. Water is now the major strategic objective of all groups in Iraq. Its life or
death. If you control water in Iraq you have a grip on Baghdad, and you can cause major
problems. Water is essential in this conflict. (Stephen, Michael. Water supply key to outcome of
conflicts in Iraq and Syria, experts warn. www.theguardian.com. 25 Nov 2015)
Professionals say that at the moment, to have power of the water supplies is even more important
than power over the oil supplies.

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Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

Annex 3

Does ISIS play a role in this conflict?
The group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq) also plays a big role in this conflicts. They have already taken
over the dam in Samarra last year and are planning to get more control of the water supply. They
almost made it to take control of the Haditha barrage and took over a smaller dam called the
Nuaimiyah dam.

But how does all of this now actually affect the river?
As a result of these dams and hydroelectrical power plants the water flow is reduced drastically. The
negotiations and wars obviously dont affect the river. The water that is used for agriculture and is
irrigated to the fields returns back to the river by groundwater flow. Though, it contains pollutants
because pesticides, fertilizers etc. have been used on the fields so the water holds these pollutants
which leads to water pollution when the water reaches the river again.
What/Who else is affected by the conflicts?
The limited water leads the countries and different terrorist groups within the countries to war. And
war means that humans are threatened. Moreover, the government in Turkey, Iraq and Syria are not
stabilized very well which means that their decisions are not very powerful. People do not listen up
to them but rather try to escape their country to a better place (what is very unsuccessful in most of
the cases) or they join a terroristic group to fight for their livesand also for the major resource in
this conflict: Water!
The major causes
The main cause is pretty clear in this conflict: The possession of water. But what is actually behind all
of it?
Syria, Turkey and Iraq have been having wars and have been fighting for many years already.
Sometimes for oil, sometimes for to prove strength and power, sometimes there were protests
against the different governments and now its about water. But this conflict is also not JUST about
water. Its also to prove power. That has always been a major cause of any types of conflicts in the
Middle East and the situation is becoming more and more dangerous.
Moreover, terrorist groups are forming and transferring war and conflicts into other countries, the
biggest and best-known of those groups: ISIS.

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Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

But what can be done?
Regarding the conflicts from the internet or to read about them is a completely different situation
than actually being part of a conflict and really being involved. And this is the problem. The more
developed countries will always be able to give an advice to the government of the countries that
are having a conflict what to do. But they cannot do is force the governments to do it and no one
knows if the advices would be successful.
That the conflicts stop dams and hydroelectric power plants would have to be removed so that Syria
and Iraq have enough water. That would be a first step. But then again the water wouldnt be used
in southern Turkey for the agricultural problems there, so that would lead to a conflict again.
As we can see the conflicts about power are very difficult to stop and will probably be perpetual for
the next couple of years. Moreover, we can see that the Anatolia Development Problem only has
advantages for Turkey but not for Syria and Iraq which makes them stay in quarrels with Turkey.

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Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

Research Action Plan

MYP Assessment Criteria B: INVESTIGATION

Limited attempt to / partially / satisfactorily / effectively follows an action plan to

investigate a research question
Uses methods to collect and record limited / some / appropriate / appropriate &
varied information in line with the research question
Limited attempt to / partially / satisfactorily / effectively addresses the research
question
Limited / reflection / detailed evaluation of the research process and results.

To help you successfully implement a research action plan you need to follow the steps below:


The main research
question

Sub questions
By answering these
sub-questions, you
will enable
yourselves to
answer the main
research question.
Check your task
sheet and
brainstorm
additional questions
with your group.
Include them all
here.
Methods to be
used in the
investigation

e.g. describe the

capture sheet. How
will it be laid out?
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What major conflicts are affecting the river negatively which have to
be stopped so that everyone has enough water to survive and that
rivers are used properly and fair?

Where is the Euphrates-Tigris river system? What

countries does the river flow through? How long is the
river? How large is the river basin? Where is the rivers
source/mouth? Etc. (FACTS)
What issues/conflicts are there about the river that
maybe are affecting the river positively/negatively?
Why are countries fighting against each other for the
river?
Who is affected by the issues/conflicts?
How are humans/animals/the environment affected
(positively/negatively) by the conflicts?

Where will you gather the information? (e.g. library)

I will be gathering my information from the internet and I will also
see if I can find something in our textbook (New Key Geography)
and see whether I can find some, for me, valuable information in the
book.

Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

Will you include
How/where are you going to record any relevant information?
your subquestions? How
I am going to record my information in a word document in form of a
many websites will
report and I will record my action plan, all of the sources I used, my
you access per
actual report and also relevant pictures in that word document.
sub-question?
Why?

What steps will

you follow to
address/ answer
the research
question?
Develop an action
plan for the main
stages of the
investigation. The
action plan should
be framed by the
sub-questions but
should be treated
like a check list of
things- to-do.
Include what needs
to be done and
when you aim to
have it completed
by

Task

Completion date

Presenting of the
river system

Tuesday, 24
November 2015

Identifying and
describing the
issues/conflicts
affecting the river

Wednesday, 25
November 2015

Explaining of the
causes of the
issues/conflicts
which affect the
river

Thursday, 26
November 2015

Discussing of who Friday, 27

is affected by the November 2015
issues/conflicts
Suggesting of
how the
issues/conflicts
can be resolved

Evaluation
Questions to
follow

Works cited

***

***

***

***

***

What has to be done to stop the conflicts?

What are the problems we have to face when we are
trying to help countries as Syria, Turkey and Iraq?

Euphrates River Map. www.biblestudy.org. 25 Nov

2015.
Euphrates-Tigris River Basin. www.harc.edu. 24 Nov
2015.
Kor, Tevfik Emin. Tigris-Euphrates River Dispute.
www1.american.edu. Nov 1997. 24 Nov 2015
Leverink, Joris. Water: Source of life and conflict in the
Land of Rivers. roarmag.org. 1 Aug 2015. 25 Nov 2015.

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Saturday, 28
November 2015

Checklist

Tiago River Systems and Conflicts: The Euphrates-Tigris river system

E-9B Individuals and Societies Mr. Soeldner

Ofori-Amoah, Abigail. Water Wars and International

Conflict. Academic.evergreen.edu. 24 Nov 2015.
Tigris-Euphrates river system. en.wikipedia.org. 24 Nov
2015.
Tigris/Euphrates River Valley Civilization.
www.rivercivilizations.com. 24 Nov 2015.
Water-Shortage Crisis Escalating in the TigrisEuphrates Basin. www.futuredirections.org.au. 25 Nov
2015.
Vidal, John. Water supply key to outcome of conflicts in
Iraq and Syria, experts warn. www.theguardian.com. 2
Jul 2014. 25 Nov 2015.
Wolf, Aaron T. and Newton, Joshua T. Case Study of
Transboundary Dispute Resolution: the TigrisEuphrates basin. www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu.
26 Nov 2015.

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