A country with water borders with all neighbors: Turkey
Introduction
The most significant waters constituting the borders of Turkey are Meriç and Arpaçay Rivers. Beside them, Mutlu Stream constituting the border with Bulgaria and Hezil Creek constituting the border with Iraq are short borders with low water flow capacities [1].
Trans-boundary and boundary-setting surface water resources are provided in Table 1. Turkey is not totally free in resource planning and use of those resources. The total potential of trans-boundary/boundary-setting resources is 66.4 billion m
3 constituting about 36% of total water resources potential of the country [1]. Rivers constitute about 22% of Turkish land borders (Table 2).
Current status of Turkey with regard to boundary-setting and trans-boundary water resources brings forward the need for multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and sustainable works to be done on those resources.
Turkey has 615 km water border with neighbors and should do what is required to allow the optimum use of these resources with neighbors without any problems and should minimize the impacts on each other.
Since 22% of borders of Turkey are constituted by the rivers, Turkey has signed various agreements for the shared use of these resources beside for taking technical measures to fix these borders (Table 2).
Hydropolitics of Turkey should be more dynamic!
Deficit water resources of the world, especially of the Middle East including Turkey, are not able to meet the demands of ever-increasing populations. Climate irregularities also threaten the water resources of the region. Turkey initiated the calls for rational water use practices with “Joint Technical Committee” established in 1982 and recommended a three-phase water management planning. Initially a proposal was made to determine the current water resources of the region but a response was not received for such a proposal. About 32 years after this proposal, Arab world performed a water inventory work entitled as “Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia” with the support of Germany. This work was introduced and presented in Stockholm World Water Week of the year 2013. Turkish proposal was realized with a 32-year delay by Arab World Countries but without the participation of Turkey.
Benefit Sharing
Turkish proposals of 32-years ego was ignored because of political concerns and current works were forced to be implemented. The region is under the threat of climate irregularities. However, the principle of “variation in natural hydraulic conditions” was not implemented in water allocations from Tigris and Euphrates. Decrease in precipitations and increase in temperatures over Tigris and Euphrates basins also decreased the water volumes in dams over these rivers. However, Turkey obeyed the 500 m
3/s water release commitment and even sometimes exceeded the commitment and released 850 m
3/s. Despite all, Turkey is still subjected to criticisms in international forums because of water development policies and geostrategic position.
Such criticisms have resulted in unfair practice against Turkey in international water platforms. Entire countries of the region are aware of the emerging period with increasing pressures and threats over water resources. All those events increase the need of Turkey for dynamic hydropolitics. With these hydropolitics, Turkey should introduce its policies about more efficient water use and its attitudes on relevant agreements to whole world in different fashions. Turkey is the single country with knowledge and experience able to guide and Orient the region countries about water management issues. Such works have already initiated in small scales. DSİ (State Hydraulic Works) have organized training and practice programs for Iraqis water engineers for 2 years. By this time, 50 Iraqi farmers, water engineers, ministry undersecretaries and administrators have participated into those programs.
A dynamic hydropolitics bringing the “sharing benefit” perception into forefront not only serve for the benefit of Turkey but also serve for the peace and stability of the region. Entire region countries should adopt such a perception.
References
(1) Avcı, İ.; Yanık, B., “Sınıraşan ve sınır oluşturan su kaynaklarımız: potansiyel, su
talepleri ve sorunları (Trans-boundary and boundary-setting water resources: potential, water demands and problems)”. Makina Mühendisleri Odası ve 15 Diğer Meslek Odası, İstanbul Şubeleri, Su Kongresi ve Sergisi '97, İstanbul, 1997, s.7-15.
(2) Bilen Özden 2000 “ Ortadoğu Su Sorunları ve Türkiye (Middle East Water Problems and Turkey)” Genişletilmiş ve Gözden Geçirilmiş 2. Baskı TESAV Yayını 2000 Yayın No: 10 Ankara.
Trans-boundary and boundary-setting surface water resources are provided in Table 1. Turkey is not totally free in resource planning and use of those resources. The total potential of trans-boundary/boundary-setting resources is 66.4 billion m3 constituting about 36% of total water resources potential of the country [1]. Rivers constitute about 22% of Turkish land borders (Table 2).
Current status of Turkey with regard to boundary-setting and trans-boundary water resources brings forward the need for multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and sustainable works to be done on those resources.
Turkey has 615 km water border with neighbors and should do what is required to allow the optimum use of these resources with neighbors without any problems and should minimize the impacts on each other.
Since 22% of borders of Turkey are constituted by the rivers, Turkey has signed various agreements for the shared use of these resources beside for taking technical measures to fix these borders (Table 2).
Hydropolitics of Turkey should be more dynamic!
Deficit water resources of the world, especially of the Middle East including Turkey, are not able to meet the demands of ever-increasing populations. Climate irregularities also threaten the water resources of the region. Turkey initiated the calls for rational water use practices with “Joint Technical Committee” established in 1982 and recommended a three-phase water management planning. Initially a proposal was made to determine the current water resources of the region but a response was not received for such a proposal. About 32 years after this proposal, Arab world performed a water inventory work entitled as “Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia” with the support of Germany. This work was introduced and presented in Stockholm World Water Week of the year 2013. Turkish proposal was realized with a 32-year delay by Arab World Countries but without the participation of Turkey.
Benefit Sharing
Turkish proposals of 32-years ego was ignored because of political concerns and current works were forced to be implemented. The region is under the threat of climate irregularities. However, the principle of “variation in natural hydraulic conditions” was not implemented in water allocations from Tigris and Euphrates. Decrease in precipitations and increase in temperatures over Tigris and Euphrates basins also decreased the water volumes in dams over these rivers. However, Turkey obeyed the 500 m3/s water release commitment and even sometimes exceeded the commitment and released 850 m3/s. Despite all, Turkey is still subjected to criticisms in international forums because of water development policies and geostrategic position.
Such criticisms have resulted in unfair practice against Turkey in international water platforms. Entire countries of the region are aware of the emerging period with increasing pressures and threats over water resources. All those events increase the need of Turkey for dynamic hydropolitics. With these hydropolitics, Turkey should introduce its policies about more efficient water use and its attitudes on relevant agreements to whole world in different fashions. Turkey is the single country with knowledge and experience able to guide and Orient the region countries about water management issues. Such works have already initiated in small scales. DSİ (State Hydraulic Works) have organized training and practice programs for Iraqis water engineers for 2 years. By this time, 50 Iraqi farmers, water engineers, ministry undersecretaries and administrators have participated into those programs.
A dynamic hydropolitics bringing the “sharing benefit” perception into forefront not only serve for the benefit of Turkey but also serve for the peace and stability of the region. Entire region countries should adopt such a perception.
References
(1) Avcı, İ.; Yanık, B., “Sınıraşan ve sınır oluşturan su kaynaklarımız: potansiyel, su
talepleri ve sorunları (Trans-boundary and boundary-setting water resources: potential, water demands and problems)”. Makina Mühendisleri Odası ve 15 Diğer Meslek Odası, İstanbul Şubeleri, Su Kongresi ve Sergisi '97, İstanbul, 1997, s.7-15.
(2) Bilen Özden 2000 “ Ortadoğu Su Sorunları ve Türkiye (Middle East Water Problems and Turkey)” Genişletilmiş ve Gözden Geçirilmiş 2. Baskı TESAV Yayını 2000 Yayın No: 10 Ankara.
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