In the Syrian Arab Republic, water has become progressively scarcer and the demand has exceeded the supply and the availability of extant resources. Syria is considered a country of limited water resources. The Syrian climate is characterized by two seasons: a hot dry summer and a cold wet winter. 80% of the rain falls in winter, namely from October through April, while the summer, from June to September is nearly completely dry. Syria is principally an agricultural state, and therefore the

more »

... cultural sector is the largest water consumer. The principal causes of the shortage of water in Syria are primitive irrigation methods that are still common, despite government incentives of low-interest loans to replace them with modern systems. The lack of investment in technology and a delay in legislation regarding irrigation intensified the water shortage. This paper will show how irrational use of water resources in the agricultural sector influences this sector negatively. The growth of agricultural areas without considering the availability of water, both extant and replenishing, lead to a substantial shortage in all the hydrological basins in the country. Moreover, over-pumping from legal and illegal wells have led to the lowering of groundwater levels, changes in the quality of the water, and the drying out of springs that the government relies upon for water collection for agricultural projects.