Turkey takes lead for better water conservation in Middle East
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Roshan Amiri
- . June 7, 2022
- . Update: June 7, 2022 11:23 pm
Turkey–In certain areas, parched fields have replaced lush soil, while others are subjected to constant heavy rains. As Turkey and the Middle East suffer from the effects of climate change, better management of scarce water resources is becoming increasingly important.
Last month, the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN) hosted irrigation specialists from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in anlurfa, Go agricultural area in southeastern Turkey, to work on improving agricultural water use efficiency and output. SUEN organized a workshop and study tour that brought together local and international professionals.
The workshop featured the presentation and discussion of a study titled “Improving agricultural water usage efficiency and production in the Middle East: Pressures, Status, Impacts, and Responses.” Representatives from the participating countries also shared details on their irrigation systems and practices. Following that, field visits to irrigation facilities were performed to observe the practices in place. The Atatürk Dam and irrigation fields in the region were visited as part of these tours.
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The workshop and field trip are part of the “Disseminating Knowledge to Improve Agricultural Water Use Efficiency” initiative, which SUEN is coordinating and implementing. At the session, the study’s findings were presented to country specialists.
Water scarcity, the problems it poses to agriculture, improving water usage efficiency, and, as a result, boosting water efficiency and crop output in the region was all covered in the paper. It was created in the Middle East under the auspices of Blue Peace.
Blue Peace in the Middle East is a network that intends to build institutional cooperation for long-term water resource management in the Middle East by facilitating water cooperation. It is made up of the region’s top organizations and strives to turn water, which has the potential to be a long-term source of conflict in the region, into a peace weapon by taking tangible initiatives and fostering cooperation.
SUEN has been running the Blue Peace Coordination Office in the Middle East since 2019, and it is working on an agricultural water efficiency initiative with the countries in the region. The Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) is co-funding the initiative with SUEN as a project partner.
The need for water is growing by the day, thanks to rising population, economic expansion, and changes in our lives. If the world continues in this direction, the demand for irrigation water might quadruple by 2050, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Water supplies, which are critical to the Middle East, are fast dwindling as a result of global warming. The research underlines the significance of efficient water use in several industries, particularly agriculture, where traditional irrigation systems utilize nearly 80% of water.
The paper also emphasizes the effects of climate change. Climate change is being blamed for shifting temperatures and precipitation patterns, as well as an increase in the severity and frequency of droughts, which has wreaked havoc on many industries, particularly agriculture. The most serious hazard to agriculture is water scarcity. According to the analysis, some losses are still recoverable, therefore “real” water savings are still conceivable.
