would you agree with ussr head of state – mikhail gorbachev … water, like religion and ideology,...
TRANSCRIPT
Water in the Middle East
Would you agree with USSR head of state – Mikhail Gorbachev …
Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people …People move when there is too
little of it. People move when there is to much of it. People journey down it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it!
Where is most of the fresh water found in the
Middle East?
On your map, color the places where water is generally plentiful.
Which countries have plentiful water within their borders?
TURKEY
Where is most of the fresh water found in the
Middle East?
What can countries do to get access to more fresh water?
What did Turkey do?
Build dams … and more dams … and more dams!
But what problems might be created by building so many dams?
Built dams!
Drastically reduced the
flow of water to Syria and
Iraq!
Syria’s solution?
Build dams!!
Iraq’s problem?Even LESS
water now!
Israel’s Solution?
Rather than building
major dams, Israel built a
national pipeline -
called National
Water Carrier - that pumped
fresh water from the Sea
of Galilee (which of
course is fed by the Jordan
River!)
How did this National
Water Carrier benefit Israel? What
problems might be
caused by this water system? (Think about
the surrounding countries!)
Rather than building
major dams, Israel built a
national pipeline -
called National
Water Carrier - that pumped
fresh water from the Sea
of Galilee (which of
course is fed by the Jordan
River!)
How did this National
Water Carrier benefit Israel? What
problems might be
caused by this water system? (Think about
the surrounding countries!)
Provided water to all of
Israel’s territories and
citizens!
• Very much depleted the waters of the Jordan River.
• Now the Jordan River is running dry!
• Therefore, freshwater supply to the country of Jordan now running low!
National Water CarrierIsrael
Jordan decided to build a “carrier” system as well!
However, they did not have the money Israel did, so this was their
canal!
Jordan’s solution?
When looking at this satellite photo of the Arabian Peninsula, what is the one major thing missing?
Water!No rivers!No lakes!
No source of freshwater!
1974 Saline water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) established
This map shows all the desalination plants in Saudi Arabia today.
So Saudi Arabia had to come up with another source of fresh water!
Solution? Desalination Plants!
However … what are some problems with desalination plants?• Very
expensive!• Uses LOTS of
energy!• Salt dumped
back into oceans - which negatively impacts the oceans’ environments!
So … what’s the solution??
Who knows?!?I guess the world still needs to work on
solutions to this problem!
To sum up … Oh, this is GOOD!
Oh, this is BAD!
TURKEY • Built dams• Provided hydroelectric energy –
cheap energy
• Bad for Syria and Iraq – downstream of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers! – less water supply to them!
• Drastically reduced the amount of water running in these rivers!
ISRAEL• Built national pipeline• Provided water to all Israelis
• Bad for Jordan River – drastically reduced amount of water flowing in this river!
• Bad for Jordan! – water supply drastically reduced!
SAUDI ARABIA• Built desalination plants• Provided fresh water to areas
without fresh water
• Very expensive!• Uses LOTS of energy!• BAD for ocean environment –
dumps all leftover salt back into oceans! Now, much higher salt content than the marine life is used to!
Words to know … Desalination – the process of removing salt
from salt waterScarcity – shortness of supplyAtaturk Dam –one of Turkey’s largest damsNational Water Carrier System – Israel’s
national pipeline that carries fresh water to most of Israel
Many believe that water will be the cause of the next great war in
the Middle East. Would you agree?
TOD … answer this question!
To sum up … Water Issues in the Middle East
Oh, this is GOOD! Oh, this is BAD!TURKEY • Built ______________• Provides hydroelectric energy to
all of ________– _____________energy
• Bad for __________and _________– downstream of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers! – ________water supply to them!
• Drastically reduced the amount of water running in these rivers!
ISRAEL• Built national
_____________________• Provides ____________to all Israelis
• Bad for _____________River – drastically reduced amount of water flowing in this river!
• Bad for _____________! – water supply drastically reduced!
SAUDI ARABIA• Built ______________________plants• Provided fresh water to areas
__________________fresh water
• Very expensive!• Uses LOTS of ______________!• BAD for ocean environment –
dumps all leftover __________back into oceans! Now, much higher salt content than the marine life is used to!
To sum up … Water Issues in the Middle East
Oh, this is GOOD! Oh, this is BAD!TURKEY • Built dams• Provides hydroelectric energy to
all of Turkey – cheap energy
• Bad for Syria and Iraq – downstream of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers! – less water supply to them!
• Drastically reduced the amount of water running in these rivers!
ISRAEL• Built national pipeline• Provides water to all Israelis
• Bad for Jordan River – drastically reduced amount of water flowing in this river!
• Bad for Jordan! – water supply drastically reduced!
SAUDI ARABIA• Built desalination plants• Provided fresh water to areas
without fresh water
• Very expensive!• Uses LOTS of energy!• BAD for ocean environment –
dumps all leftover salt back into oceans! Now, much higher salt content than the marine life is used to!