Middle East: Water and Oil

Problem in the Middle East:

Water is Polluted• Poor sanitary conditions• Leaks from oil/petroleum pipeline and

ships• Agriculture waste

Shortage- caused by

• Climate : there are many deserts in the area• Population: There has been tremendous

growth in this area• Countries rely on desalination to get fresh

water• Israel: gets water from the Sea of Galilee

Water

Water

Unequal Distribution• Agriculture suffers because lands can’t be

irrigated• People have to do without for drinking,

cleaning, working, etc.• Countries without major rivers must find other

ways to generate electricity.

Countries dispute over “water rights”• Euphrates River – flows through

Turkey, Syria and Iraq• Turkey and Syria have built dams on

the river (This means less water for Iraq)

Oil

• Government has benefitted• Area was able to modernize by building:

Airports, Communication systems, Oil Pipelines, Roads

• People left small villages and moved to large cities

• Standard of Living Rose – people had more money to spend on goods