Water Scarcity and Development A case study of the Euphrates water shortages and their implications on northern Syria.

Abstract: In yet another alarming development in Syria, the waters of the Euphrates River have declined to critically low levels in 2021. The unprecedented low water levels of the Euphrates put nearly 5.5 million Syrians at risk as they depend on the Euphrates basin for drinking water and agricultural production. This study examines the phenomenon of water shortages in the Euphrates River whilst utilising the theoretical lenses of political ecology and the Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus approach. The study aims to analyse 1: the implications of water scarcity on development in northern Syria, and 2: the achievability of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 15 in the same geographical location. The case of the Euphrates River water shortages is studied following the Fundamental Qualitative Description methodology and analysed in accordance with the Miles & Huberman (1994) framework. The data in this study are presented in the form of SDGs assessments and then further discussed against the concepts of water, energy and food security that are drawn from the WEF Nexus theoretical approach. This research demonstrates distressing results regarding the development of northern Syria. Water scarcity from the Euphrates basin has affected the core aspects of development such as poverty, hunger, energy, health, and nature preservation. The conclusion of this study suggests that water scarcity in north Syria hinders the process of development by causing water, energy and food insecurity. Moreover, the data strongly conclude that with the current trends in water availability, north Syria will not achieve any of the selected SDGs by 2030.