SYRIAN USE OF YARMUK RIVER WATER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00287R001200530001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 26, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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Washington, D. C. 20505
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
G GCT 1984
MEMORANDUM FOR: Robert Pelletreau
Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
Department of State
Syrian Use of Yarmuk River Water
$03
1. The attached memorandum presents an updated version of
our estimate of Syrian water diversion from Yarmuk River
The most important changes resulted from taking
into account non-irrigation water consumption and subtracting
some return flow to the Yarmuk of water used by Syria. Although
the net effect was to reduce our estimate, the total Syrian
diversion is still significant to Jordan and Israel and will
continue to increase.
2. A map detailing the locations of Syrian reservoirs and
springs will be published shortly and will be forwarded as soon
as it is available. Other portions of our work on Yarmuk River
use--by Jordan and Israel--are in process and will be presented
to you as they are completed
3. This memorandum was prepared by
East Branch, Geography Division, Office or o a issues.
4. Comments and suggestions on this memorandum are welcome
and may be addressed to the Chief, Geography D,i\vision, OGI, on
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Attachment:
Syria: Use of Yarmuk River Water Source
GI M 84 10181 October 1984,
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SUBJECT: Syria: Use of Yarmuk River Water Sources
OGI/GD/NE (Oct 1984)
Distribution:
1 - Robert Pelletreau, State
1 - William Kirby, State
1 - Jay Bruns, State
1 - William N. Witting, US Embassy Damascus
1 - Gerry Gower, USAID, US Embassy Amman
1 - William Brew, US Embassy, Tel Aviv
1 - David Mack, State
1 - Miles Pendleton, State
1 - George Harris, State
1 - George Demko, State
1 - Jonathan Schwartz, State
1 - SA/DDCI
1 - Executive Director
1 - DDI
1 - DDI/PES
1 - NIO/NESA
1 - CPAS/ISS
1 - D/NESA
1 - Ch/NESA
1 - Ch/NESA/AI
1 - Ch/NESA/AI/I
1
1
1 D/OGI, DD/OGI
1 - Ch/GD
1 - Ch/GD/NE
8 - OGI/PG
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x Lentrai intemgence Hgency
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
Syria: Use of Yarmuk River Water Sources
Summary
We estimate that Syria's use of Yarmuk River water is
approximately 210 million cubic meters (mcm) annually and that
consumption is increasing steadily. This total includes
approximately 185 mcm for irrigation, and 25 mcm for domestic,
industrial, and animal consumption. We believe that about one-
third of this water returns to the watershed's aquifers and
streams as runoff. The net diversion of Yarmuk water by Syria is
therefore on the order of 140 mcm (4.4 m3 per second on an annual
basis), or nearly one-third of the river's historic annual
flow. This reduction of the Yarmuk's flow takes place in all
months, but is probably greater during the peak irrigation season
in summer. In future years, as Syria's new water requirements
are increasingly met from stored reservoir water, a larger share
of the total diversion requirements will come from winter
runoff.
Our estimate of annual Syrian water usage is based primarily
on analysis of the amount of land that is irrigated by Syria in 25X1
the Yarmuk Basin, because Syria--like Israel and Jordan--does not
publish official statistics on actual water usage from the
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This memorandum was prepared byl (Geography
Division, Office of Global Issues. The information is updated to 11
October 1984. Comments may be directed to Chief,
Geography Division
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Syria: Use of Yarmuk River Water Sources
Irrigated Area in Syria's Yarmuk Basin
Irrigated agriculture has been an important activity in this
part of southwestern Syria since at least the 1950's. According
to calculations prepared for the Johnston mission in 1954, Syria
planned to irrigate 68,000 dunams on the Yarmuk Plateau by
tapping water from seven springs that feed Yarmuk tributaries.
The annual water requirement for this area was estimated at 1000
m3 per dunam, or 68 mcm annually. Because some of this water
would return to the streams, the annual depletion was estimated
at no more than 48 mcm upon full development of the irrigable
area. To supply other Syrian irrigated areas in the Yarmuk gorge
and on what is now the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the
Johnston Plan allocated Syria an additional 22 mcm, for a total
of 90 moms from th
.
V---1, Ri
e
ve
Since the 1950s Syrian agricultural development has far
outstripped these plans. By the mid 1970s Syria had placed more
than 100,000 dunams under irrigation in Dar'a and Al Qunaytirah
Governorates. Most of the water was obtained from springs that
feed Yarmuk tributaries, although in the 1970s some reservoirs
were built to catch surface runoff. The amount of area irrigated
in any given year depended on the amount of water available
during the irrigation season from the previous winter's
rainfall. Double-cropping (mainly tomatoes and other vegetables
in summer, and winter wheat and vegetables in the winter/spring
season) was widely practiced. Even with double-cropping,
however, because of water shortages the total area in crops was
less than the area available for irrigation. For example, during
the summer season only about 60 percent of the area retorted as
irrigated land actually produced crops (table 1).
'The following discussion focuses on the portion of the Yarmuk
Basin that is now under Syrian control. It notes, however, that
Israeli reservoirs in the Golan Heights portion of the Yarmuk
Basin have a current capacity of about 10 mcm. Total Israeli
water use on the Golan Heights is on the -order of 35 mcm
annually.
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Irrigation Agriculture
in Dar'a and Al Qunaytirah Governorates (dunams)
Winter Crops (total)
30,170
39,270
37,190
Wheat & Barley
13,300
23,820
24,500
Vegetables
16,870
15,390
12,690
Summer Crops (total)
41,170
88,370
67,380
Maize
5,400
5,120
13,770
Tomatoes
17,530
21,350
24,040
Other Vegetables
18,240
61,900
29,570
Perennial Fruit Crops
9,340
10,470
11,800
Total Crop Area
80,680
138,050
116,370
Irrigated Land
91,990-
155,010
124,370
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Since 1977 official information has not been available on
the amount of land that actually produced crops or since 1982 on
the amount of land classified as irrigated (table 2).
Nevertheless, information on new reservoir construction and well
drilling indicates that there has been a significant increase in
irrigation water availability and use. For example, references
in the Syrian media to the amount of irrigated land associated
with individual reservoir construction projects cite a total of
163,000 dunams that will be irrigated when the projects are
completed (table 3). Presumably the greater availability of
water from these reservoirs will allow an increasing share of
this irrigated area to be cropped in both winter and summer.
Based on the available data, we believe that the total irrigated
area (assuming normal rainfall) now averages at least 150,000
dunams and that the total area of irrigated crops is at least
160,000 dunams because of more widespread double cropping. This
amount of crop land would require about 184 mcm of water
annually.' Completion of all the reservoir and irrigation canal
projects now under construction will probably increase total
irrigation water usage to at least 200 mcm during the next
several years
'Assumes an average crop requirement of 700 m3 per dunam at 60
percent system efficiency, requiring 1150 m3/yr./dunam.
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Irrigated Area and Rainfall in Syria's Yarmuk Basin (1000 dunams)
Irr
ig. Actually
Rainfall at Dar'a
Year Lan
d Cropped
Amount (mm) Years
1973 8
2
-
196 (low)
1972-1973
1974 9
0
-
389 (high)
1973-1974
1975 9
1
81
141 (low)
1974-1975
1976 15
5
138
253 (ave)
1975-1976
1977 12
4
116
222 (low)
1976-1977
1978 10
0
952
183 (low)
1977-1978
1979 13
0
1252
120 (low)
1978-1979
1980 12
0
1202
362 (high)
1979-1980
1981 14
0
1452
(ave)
1980-1981
1982 14
0
1452
(low)
1981-1982
1983 15
02
1552
(high)
1982-1983
1984 15
02
1602
(ave)
1983-1984
'Long-term average is 283 mm annually
2Estimated
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Springs
Syria's Yarmuk Basin contains 45 springs that produce an
average of 145 mcm of water per year, or about a third of the
Yarmuk's historic flow. Although only scattered usage data are
available, we believe that most of this spring water is tapped at
or near its source for irrigation projects. The largest spring,
at Muzayrib, produces on average 44 mcm annually and supplies a
major irrigation project. Like streamflow, spring flow depends
on annual precipitation; output of the Muzayrib spring ranged
from 20 mcm following the dry 1972-73 season to 50 mcm after the
wetter year in 1975-76.
in the late 1970's springs
supplied water to at least 78,000 dunams of irrigated land in the
Yarmuk basin. We believe this amount is increasing, although
most subsequent expansion of water supplies has come from
Reservoirs
Syria began building dams in the Yarmuk Basin in about 1970
to catch surface runoff during the winter and the perennial flow
of springs feeding Yarmuk Tributaries. The first reservoir to be
completed was a 15 mcm capacity facility at Dar'a. By 1978
reservoirs in the Yarmuk Basin had a combined capacity of 25 mcm
and others with a capacity of 33 mcm were under construction.
Most reservoirs were designed almost entirely for irrigation
purposes; a few of the smaller ones in the eastern part of the
basin were built for municipal uses. In addition, at least a
dozen smaller water catchments that probably serve as stock-
watering ponds were built on smaller tributaries. At the present
time, we estimate that 15 Syrian dams have been completed or are
under construction in the Yarmuk Basin with a combined capacity
of about 81 mcm. We are not able to estimate the amount of water
they actually divert from the Yarmuk because we cannot estimate
how much of their capacites are filled and we do not know if the
irrigation systems associated with even the completed reservoirs
are in full operation. Nevertheless, the resevoirs have clearly
contributed to a significant reduction in the Yarmuk's flow,
'Theoretically, the amount of water withdrawn from a reservoir
could be much larger than the one-time storage capacity because
filling and withdrawing could take place during the entire
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Reservoirs in the Yarmuk Basin
Name
SYRIA2
1. Ruwayhinah
2. Al Hajjah (Radimneh ?)
3. Ar Rafid (Buraykeh ?)
4. Ghadir al Bustan (Tasil)
5. Shaykh Miskin
6. Ibta, East
7. Ibta, West
8. Adwan
9. Jallin (Abdeen/Shajara)
10. Rum
11. Al Musayfirah
12. Sahaweh
13. Dar'a
14. Habran
15. Al Ain
ISRAELI-OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS
16. Merom Golan
17. Yonatan (Syrian built)
18. Hital (Avne Etan)
Associated
Irrigated
Land
Capacity Year Built (dunams)
81.6 163,000
2.0 1982-84 1,300
3.0 1980-81 1,000
6.03 U/C 10,000
12.0 1983 34,000
15.0 1982 20,000
3.0 Mid-70's
1.0 Mid-70's
6.0 U/C
5,000
6.5 1980-83 22,000
4.6 1978
3.03 1980-81
1.0 1980
15.0 early 70's 70,000
2.0 1981
1.5 19664
303
1..53
5.0
llrrigated land identified with some of these projects is probably also
supplied from springs and wells (e.g. Muzayrib spring, with an average
annual yiel
d of 44 mcm, is probably the main water supply for the Dara
F- I
project).
2Numbers correspond to reservoir numbers on accompanying map.
3Estimated
4Being expanded from 0.6 to 1.5 mcm
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Wells
Wells supply only a small share of the water used in the
Yarmuk Basin, probably less than 10 mcm annually.
observers report that Dar'a and Al Qunaytirah Governorates
contain several hundred wells, including a number of drill rigs,
but do not provide their combined output.
a large Libyan-financed project with 30 wells
produces about 1.2 mcm; anothIr notes that 17 government test
wells produce 1 mcm annually. Many of the other wells in the
area are probably small, shallow wells owned by individual
Domestic, Industrial, and Animal Consumption
We estimate that the apporximately 650,000 inhabitants of
Syria's Yarmuk Basin consume about 25 mcm of water annually, of
which about 22 mcm is for household and industrial use and 3 mcm
for livestock. The estimate of human use is based on the
assumption that per capita consumption is 100 liters per day, a
typical but by no means uniform figure for parts of Syria and
Jordan. Continued population growth at rates above 3 percent and
improved water services could easily double this usage by the
)nnn I I
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assumption that wells operate for 12 hours per day during a six
month growing season. 25X1
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