Syria
Beyond the fertile oases along the Euphrates River and its tributaries, the Syrian Arab Republic contains vast stretches of desert plateaus. The country faces severe water challenges and climate change is intensifying unpredictable weather patterns and frequent droughts, which put stress on agricultural sectors and lead to water shortages in urban areas. Due to unreliable rainfall and strained groundwater sources, Syria is reliant on external water resources to meet population needs. Additionally, irrigation systems and essential water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure remain damaged from years of conflict, posing major health and food security risks.
IWMI in Syria
IWMI has worked to assess the quality of publicly available water-monitoring datasets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Syria, and to minimize biases in the data, which is essential for transitioning raw data to impactful actions by water managers. IWMI has also partnered with the Jordanian government to assess water and climate-related vulnerabilities in host communities on the border that support Syrian refugees, fostering disaster preparedness. Charting a path forward for sustainable water management is essential to support vulnerable populations and strengthen Syria’s water resilience.
Contact
For work related to Syria, please contact our regional office in Egypt.
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Latest Syria publications
Pathway from water-conflict to water-peace in the Middle East and North Africa
إعادة استخدام المياه في الشرق األوسط وشمال أفريقيا: كتاب مرجعي
Building resilience in fragile and conflict-affected agrifood systems through a water-energy-food nexus approach