Former French minister ‘shocked’ by Rojava water shortages
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Former French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Tuesday that he was “shocked” by water shortages in the region.
Speaking with the head of the foreign office of the autonomous Rojava administration Abdulkarim Omar, Kouchner warned the shortages could cause a disaster in the future as the people of the region “will not get enough wheat and enough water to drink, enough water for agriculture.”
Rojava, like its neigbhours, is experiencing a water shortage this year because of lack of rainfall. The problem is exacerbated by disputes over water with Turkey. Kurdish officials have for years accused Turkey of cutting off the flow of water in the Euphrates River and from the Alouk distribution station.
Kouchner was in Rojava to take part in an international conference on water.
The message from the conference is “a real alert, a real warning. This is a world problem. So we have to enlarge the spectrum and tell the population of the world that this is not only here… it will come everywhere,” said Kouchner, who is also co-founder of Doctors Without Border (MSF).
He was accompanied by Gerard Chaliand, French expert in geopolitics and Middle East issues, and Alain Boinet, member of the French Water Partnership (FWP).
Chaliand told Kurdish authorities after attending the two-day International Water Forum in Hasaka on Monday that Turkey’s act of cutting off water is “unacceptable.”
The forum was attended by some 300 local and international representatives and made 20 recommendations in its concluding statement, including pressuring Turkey to stop water blocking the flow of water, reported ANHA.
Other recommendations were submitting a comprehensive report of Turkey’s water violations to all agencies affiliated with the United Nations, European Union and international rights groups, as well as construction of sewage treatment plants and seeking alternative energy methods.
Turkey and Syria signed an agreement in 1987 that stipulates Turkey should release from its dams 500 cubic meters of water per second down the Euphrates and across the border.
Turkey also is experiencing drought-like conditions. Its Lake Van is shrinking.
Speaking with the head of the foreign office of the autonomous Rojava administration Abdulkarim Omar, Kouchner warned the shortages could cause a disaster in the future as the people of the region “will not get enough wheat and enough water to drink, enough water for agriculture.”
Rojava, like its neigbhours, is experiencing a water shortage this year because of lack of rainfall. The problem is exacerbated by disputes over water with Turkey. Kurdish officials have for years accused Turkey of cutting off the flow of water in the Euphrates River and from the Alouk distribution station.
Kouchner was in Rojava to take part in an international conference on water.
The message from the conference is “a real alert, a real warning. This is a world problem. So we have to enlarge the spectrum and tell the population of the world that this is not only here… it will come everywhere,” said Kouchner, who is also co-founder of Doctors Without Border (MSF).
He was accompanied by Gerard Chaliand, French expert in geopolitics and Middle East issues, and Alain Boinet, member of the French Water Partnership (FWP).
Chaliand told Kurdish authorities after attending the two-day International Water Forum in Hasaka on Monday that Turkey’s act of cutting off water is “unacceptable.”
The forum was attended by some 300 local and international representatives and made 20 recommendations in its concluding statement, including pressuring Turkey to stop water blocking the flow of water, reported ANHA.
Other recommendations were submitting a comprehensive report of Turkey’s water violations to all agencies affiliated with the United Nations, European Union and international rights groups, as well as construction of sewage treatment plants and seeking alternative energy methods.
Turkey and Syria signed an agreement in 1987 that stipulates Turkey should release from its dams 500 cubic meters of water per second down the Euphrates and across the border.
Turkey also is experiencing drought-like conditions. Its Lake Van is shrinking.