Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

is a

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

country with scarce water resources. The largest water-consuming sector in Syria is

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. Domestic water use is only about 9% of total water use.M. Salman & W. Mulla. The Utilization of Water Resources for Agriculture in Syria: Analysis of Current Situation and Future Challenge

/ref> A big challenge for Syria is its high population growth, with a rapidly increasing demand for urban and industrial water. In 2006, the population of Syria was 19.4 million with a growth rate of 2.7%.World Bank (2001). Syrian Arab Republic Irrigation Sector Report. Rural Development, Water and Environment Group, Middle East and North Africa Region, Report No. 22602-SY

/ref>

Access

Public water supply systems cover about 95% of the households in urban areas and about 80% in rural areas. Drinking Water Supply In 2002 96% of all urban households were connected to a sewer system. Nearly half (46%) of rural house connections were connected to a pipe sewerage system in 2002. In 2002 about 30% of the rural households were connected to a pit latrine. Improved Sanitation

Water quality

All major cities - with the exception of

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

– and all rural distribution networks in the rural areas are supplied with water from springs and

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

. Major water treatment facilities exist only for the domestic water supply system for Aleppo, which is provided with water from

Lake Assad Lake Assad ( ar, بحيرة الأسد, ''Buhayrat al-Assad'') is a reservoir on the Euphrates in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. It was created in 1974 when construction of the Tabqa Dam was completed. Lake Assad is Syria's largest lake, with a maxim ...

Water resources

Most of the domestic water in Syria is supplied by groundwater, wells and springs. One exception is Aleppo city, which receives water for domestic use by pipelines from the Assad reservoir.Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany) & Ministry of Irrigation (Syria). Initial Assessment Study of Water Sector Management in the Syrian Arab Republic, Final Report. Damascus, September 2004 However, the city of

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

is supplied with surface water from the Orontes River through a pipeline from

Lake Homs Lake Homs ( ar, بحيرة حمص) (also called Lake Qattinah, ar, بحيرة قطينة) is a lake near Homs, Syria, fed by the Orontes River. The lake is from the city of Homs, and spans over . The lake is artificial, created by the Lake Hom ...

Wastewater management

In 2002, total wastewater produced in Syria was estimated at 1,364 million m³. Of this total 550 million m³ (40%) was treated in the cities of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and

Salamiyah A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995) Salamieh ( ar, سلمية ') is a city and district in western Syria, in the Hama Governorate. It is located southeast of Hama, northeast of Homs. The city is nicknamed the "mother of Cairo" because it was t ...

. All treated wastewater is reused for irrigation.

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

br>FAO Aquastat Country Profile
2008, accessed on October 31, 2009 In October 2009, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing announced a plan to develop Syria’s wastewater infrastructure. The plan involves the construction of 180 new

wastewater treatment plants Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environmen ...

across the country. Two plants are in the foreground: one located in

Jaramanah Jaramana ( ar, جرمانا) is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in the Ghouta plain. Its location, 3 kilometers southeast of the Syrian capital, makes it a bustling town in the greater Damascus met ...

and the other serving the southern city of

As Suwayda As-Suwayda ( ar, ٱلسُّوَيْدَاء / ALA-LC romanization: ''as-Suwaydāʾ''), also spelled ''Sweida'' or ''Swaida'', is a mainly Druze city located in southwestern Syria, close to the Jordan–Syria border, border with Jordan. It is the ...

. The procurement of the two plants has been assigned to

Syrian-Qatari Holding Company The Syrian-Qatari Holding Company (SQHC) is a holding company founded in 2008 and based in Damascus that is equally owned by the governments of Syria and Qatar. With a declared capital of USD 5 billion it is Syria's largest holding company. The co ...

(SQHC). SQH had planned to seek potential strategic partners through competitive tenders before February 2010. To increase the attractiveness of the project the Syrian Ministry of Finance has pledged to provide a sovereign guarantee for the agreements that will be signed with the partners. The two new plants would allow reusing treated effluent for agricultural irrigation, an established practice in Syria. However, as of December 2010 the projects were delayed after SQH failed to reach a financial agreement with the government. Also, a law on public-private partnerships that would have been the legal basis for the Build-Operate Transfer (BOT) projects was delayed.

Institutional framework

The Syrian water sector is fragmented and different institutions have overlapping functions and responsibilities. The

Ministry of Water Resources Ministry of water resources may refer to: * Ministry of Water Resources (Bangladesh) * Ministry of Water Resources (India) * Ministry of Water Resources (Iraq) * Minister of Water Resources (Nigeria) * Ministry of Water Resources (Pakistan) * Minis ...

(MOWR) is responsible for proposing, planning and executing the Government's programme in the field of water supply and sanitation. Through its 14 water and sanitation directorates (Establishments) it is also in charge of providing water supply and sanitation services. The Ministry of Local Administration and Environment (MLAE) has the task to plan and implement all governmental activities at regional level. MLAE is responsible for the protection of the environment by issuing the required standards and monitoring the quality of water for all uses. The Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MoAAR) is responsible for supplying water for agriculture.

References