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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 ….
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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? TURKEY On your map, color the places where water is generally plentiful. Which countries have plentiful water within their borders?
Where is most of the fresh water found in the Middle East? What can countries do to get access to more fresh water?
Build dams … and more dams … and more dams! Built dams! But what problems might be created by building so many dams?
Drastically reduced the flow of water to Syria and Iraq!Syria’s solution?Build dams!!Iraq’s problem?Even LESS water now!
How did this National Water Carrier benefit Israel? 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!) What problems might be caused by this water system? (Think about the surrounding countries!)
Provided water to all of Israel’s territories and citizens! How did this National Water Carrier benefit Israel? 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!) What problems might be caused by this water system? (Think about the surrounding countries!) • 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!
Jordan’s solution? Jordan decided to build a “carrier” system as well! However, they did not have the money Israel did, so this was their canal! National Water Carrier Israel
Water! No rivers! No lakes! No source of freshwater! When looking at this satellite photo of the Arabian Peninsula, what is the one major thing missing?
So Saudi Arabia had to come up with another source of fresh water! Solution? Desalination Plants! 1974 Saline water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) established This map shows all the desalination plants in Saudi Arabia today.
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!
Words to know … • Desalination – the process of removing salt from salt water • Scarcity – shortness of supply • Ataturk Dam –one of Turkey’s largest dams • National 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!