Download Environmental Issues Across Southwest Asia Water

Environmental Issues Across Southwest Asia
Water
Fresh ____________ is a precious resource in the Middle East. About 5% of the world’s
population lives there, but less than ____% of the world’s fresh water is available to its residents.
Water shortages, ______________ water distribution, and pollution further _____________ the
amount of water available for drinking and irrigation.
Water Distribution
Water needs in the Middle East continually cause _______________between countries. Who
_________the water? Who should be allowed to divert water for __________________? There are no
____________________ __________ to govern the use of international water.
Irrigation
Irrigation is the delivery of any water other than __________ for ______________ purposes.
Farmers struggle to bring water to their fields from local rivers and from _________________
_________________ (layers of underground rock where water runoff from rains and streams is
trapped.) Some farmers use water from wells that tap into ___________ water (water that has been
underground for centuries). Rains and streams _______ _______ replace this water, and once it is
used, it is ___________ _________________. Farmers in very rural areas still use methods used by
their _________________ to irrigate their fields, including ___________ ___________, irrigation
ditches and canals, and animal power to lift water from underground wells. Farmers in countries with
more technology use modern irrigation techniques. ___________and Saudi Arabia have developed
systems of __________ ___________________ using computers that measure out how much water
each plant receives. There has also been a lot of work done to learn how to take water from the
______________and desalinate it to use for drinking and irrigation. ____________________________
(the process of removing _________ and other chemicals from seawater) is very expensive and
requires complex technology.
Farming
Many people in the Middle East practice ___________________________
________________________, which is growing small amounts of crops to take care of local needs.
Because the climate is so ___________, agriculture nearly always depends on ___________________,
directing water from small rivers and streams to the farmers’ fields. There is some
________________________ agriculture (growing crops for industrial ___________________), but
even that is limited by lack of ______________.
Water Rights
____________ ____________ are agreements about how countries can use water in a region.
Other Middle East countries often get into ______________ over their policies on water rights and
other natural resources. Water rights often cause political disputes. Many Middle East countries like
Israel, _________________, and the Palestinians on the West Bank, all depend on many of the same
scarce water resources. __________________has the most power, so it has been most effective in
claiming water. Much Israeli water is also cleaned after it is used once, and is then _____________.
Turkey / Turkey, Syria and Iraq
In the highlands of Turkey, snow melts and forms the ___________ and _______________
Rivers. Turkey is better off than its neighbors because of these rivers, but ______________________
from industries and agriculture is a growing problem. Pollution also comes from _______spills in the
Black Sea. Turkey built _________ along the Euphrates to use the water for _____________________
power and irrigation. This reduces the amount of water reaching Syria. In turn, Syria built a dam and
reduced the river’s flow into__________. In 1975, Syria and Iraq came close to war over water
issues. Iraq also faces ________________ waters from industry and ________ damage to water
treatment facilities and petroleum drilling equipment.
Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia
_________________ is up, and rainfall is down, leading Israel to draw water from its
_____________. Aquifers are _________________layers on rock and sand that contain water. Now,
more water is being taken out of the aquifers than is replenished by _________, and ________ water
is entering aquifers. Israel has also been involved in battles over water rights to the ______________
River. Iran is depleting the water in its aquifers for irrigations and _____________ water. The
__________________ crop is being hurt by water shortages in the south. Open ______________,
failed septic systems, _____________________, and pesticides are contaminating Afghanistan’s
shrinking water supply. Saudi Arabia’s ___________ climate means that they rely on about 30
__________________ plants to provide most of their drinking water.