Ibrahim Alabdullah, Ernst-August Nuppenau:
Irrigation Water Policies in Syria: Current Situation Analysis and Scenarios for the Future

IBRAHIM ALABDULLAH, ERNST-AUGUST NUPPENAU
Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Agricultural Policy and Market Research, Germany

Water scarcity in Syria is becoming an increasingly serious concern for public authorities as present demand of water is surpassing available resources. The agricultural sector in Syria consumes up to 90% of all available water, hence the need to increase water use efficiency in agriculture is the focal point of the nation's water policy discussions. Therefore the criteria, rules, objectives and implementation of water policies demand important changes and a careful assessment. As agriculture is a key sector in the Syrian economy (28% of GDP), irrigation expansion has mounted over the last two decades to comply with objectives of self-sufficiency policy in essential food products and food security. At present, water policies in Syria are designed to combine the expansion of irrigation from surface water resources and reduction of groundwater irrigated areas, in addition to attain a sustainable use of water by increasing technical efficiency and by reducing future consumption. Two of the pillars of this policy are the adoption of modern irrigation technologies at farm level that is already profiting from considerable government support and the substitution of water-intensive crops. This paper describes the pressure on water resources for agriculture and analyses the irrigation water sector in Syria and its related water policies. The level of analysis to be considered in this study is the national. The methodology includes simulations of different scenarios which have been carried out to allow long term assessments of different policy alternatives for conserving water resources. Results show that current water policies in Syria may not be sustainable and that positive water balance will be reached only if irrigation modernisation is coupled with a limited expansion of irrigated areas. Present and future water policies in Syria will have to rely progressively on demand management and the introduction of incentives, such as tariffs or quotas, in order to achieve water conservation aims.

Keywords: Irrigation water policy, Syria, water scarcity, water use efficiency

Footnotes

...P

Contact Address: Ibrahim Alabdullah, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Agricultural Policy and Market ResearchUnterhof 63 App. 215, 35392 Giessen, Germany, e-mail: ibra161yahoo.de