Water resources in Syria - Essay Example

Water Resources in Syria 0 Introduction Syria is a country that is located in Asia. Unlike many of its neighbors, the country is not naturally water poor (IRIN par. 3). The country, however, currently faces a water crisis following civil strife that has gripped the country for the last two years (U.N. News Center, par. 2). As a result of the political situation of the country, experts note that the availability of water per capita has significantly reduced. Water that is consumed by Syrian nationals comes from different sources.

In different parts of the country, water reaches the nationals through the pipeline and tanks. Many people also purchase bottled water from shops even as some locals draw water directly from water sources such as the Mediterranean Sea. This paper will compared tapped water and water supply by tankers in Syria. 2.0 Piped Water According to UNICEF, Syria is facing a huge problem as many locals cannot access adequate amounts of clean water. While the country has a piped water system, it is widely believed that the water that is transported to residents through the pipeline could be contaminated (U.N. News Center, par. 6). The water supplied by the local authorities is either directly connected or goes to a receiving tank before it reaches the users.

Tapped water is especially contaminated given that the country’s production of water treatment chemicals has gone down. Furthermore, the war ravaged country faces fuels shortages and several of its infrastructures are damaged to the point that the water cannot be pumped as required (U.N. News Center, par. 6). UNICEF further notes that the country’s agricultural sector greatly relies on treated sewerage water. With several of the country’s infrastructure down, the country is not able to treat the sewage water and therefore the situation of the country is almost pathetic.

In places such as Dier Ez-Zor, the supply of pumped water has fallen by as much as 90% while in Damascus, the supply has dropped by about 20% (UNICEF (1). 2.1 Water Supply by Trucks With the crisis getting worse by the day, many people tend to rely on water supplied by tankers for their domestic use. A lot of the water that is supplied by tankers comes from outside the country. Water supplied by the U.N. water is treated before being supplied to Syrian nationals as noted by Ecofiltro (par. 4).

The United Nations supports Syrians by organizing the supply of water by mobile tankers to nationals. Some entrepreneurs also engage in supplying nationals with water using tankers, at a cost. This water is often gotten from private wells or from the municipal water system. Water supplied by many of the private business people may not be safe for human consumption as it has not been treated. Water supplied by tanks is considered to be expensive and far beyond the reach of many locals, costing as much as $15 for 15 days’ supply of water to an average family (U.N. News Center, par. 7). Water trucking is a common phenomenon in areas where water networks have failed or are altogether absent according to UNICEF (1).

In as much as tankers contribute a lot toward improving the situation of the Syrians, this supply method, like tapped water, cannot meet the huge demand within a short time. Furthermore, water supply by tanks is restricted to areas that are relatively safe or free from active fire exchanges. The trucks used to ferry the water are of different sizes and therefore carry different capacities. During the transportation and distribution of water by the tankers, a huge amount of the commodity goes to waste, which should not be the case.

In some cases, the water supplied by tanks is sold to a few businesses who store it in huge tanks or bottle it for sale. 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, Syria is facing a serious water crisis. Many Syrians receive the water they use either from mobile tankers or from the local authorities through taps. Currently, a lot of the country’s infrastructure is damaged to an extent that the quality of the tapped water that is being supplied is questionable. Furthermore, the amount of water supplied through this means is quite inadequate.

Even though the government is taking measures to tame the situation, it will take a long time before water supply to millions of Syrians returns to normal. The water supplied by tankers similarly is inadequate and cannot meet the demand. Depending on the source or vendor, the quality of the water supplied by the trucks can be good or bad. This method of supply, however, tends to be wasteful during transportation and distribution. Works Cited Ecofiltro. Syria: UN begins delivery of safe water supplies for 10 million people. 2013. Web.

http://www.ecofiltro.org/en/syria-un-begins-delivery-safe-water-supplies-10-million-people IRIN. Syria: Why the water shortages?. 2013. Web. http://www.irinnews.org/report/88554/ U.N. News Center. Disruption of sanitation services in Syria putting children’s health at risk – UNICEF. 2013. Web. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/www.wmo.int/www.iaea.org/html/story.asp?NewsID=44100&Cr=syria&Cr1=#.UqppWidRfDZ UNICEF. Running dry: Water and sanitation crisis threatens Syrian children. 2013. Web. http://www.unicef.org/mena/Syria_Crisis_WASH-Syria-Feb-2013-En.pdf