If oil
has been the main cause of conflict in the 20th century, water will become the
main cause of conflict in the 21st century. Current water resources will come
under pressure as global warming increases temperatures and rainfall decreases.
At the same time the world’s population is constantly increasing and is estimated
to reach 9 billion by 2030. This rise in the human population results in
increased demands for water for domestic use, for food production and
industrial demands.
The need
for developing more water resources is worldwide however here we will consider
the situation in Iraq, and Kurdistan in particular, to emphasize the need for a
strategy to increase water supply and ensure efficient use of available
resources. At the same time we must protect agricultural land, especially in
Iraqi Kurdistan, where fertile lands are being steadily exhausted. Policies
regarding land usage that were set up by the Ba’athist regime and current land
usage activities in the region must be reviewed and amended. Under the Ba’athist
regime fertile agricultural land was lost in the construction of towns to which
they forcibly moved people, while the current policy of local government is
inadequate and scarce, fertile agricultural land continues to be used for
developments that could be situated on the less fertile mountain slopes or land
that had been previously used for building.
The
Logic of Building Dams
The
construction of dams is carried out to form reservoirs of water for human
consumption, industrial and agricultural use and also to prevent flooding
downstream, increase ground water levels. At the same time construction of a
dam and the lake formed behind it can improve the environment, increasing
wildlife and the aesthetic aspects of the region leading to increased tourist
attraction. An important use of dams is for the generation of electricity that environmentally
friendly and relatively cheap. Construction of dams for this purpose is of
particular importance where the topography is suitable and there is minimal loss.
In Iraqi
Kurdistan, cereal crops and winter legumes are mostly grown under rainfed conditions,
while summer crops are only grown where irrigation water is available. When
rainfall is insufficient, winter crops also require supplementary irrigation to
insure reasonable yields. Utilisation of irrigation will improve crop yields
but any irrigation system must include in its plan a means of supplying required
supplementary irrigation when needed.
Existing
Dams in Kurdistan
There
are two major dams in Kurdistan, the Dukan and Derbendikhan Dams. The first, completed
in 1956, resulted in the loss of 270 square kilometers of the best agricultural
land in Kurdistan, while the lake formed behind Derbendikhan dam, constructed
in 1962, covers an area of 211 square kilometers and also resulted in the loss
of high quality agricultural land. Both dams are
designed to control seasonal floods, ensure
irrigation water downstream, and to generate electricity. The Dukan dam
powers 5 generators producing 400MW of electricity while the Derbendikhan dam powers
3 generators and produces 112 MW of electricity.
Other
Considerations for Dams
Iraq is
known for its large oil resources rich and cheap source of fossil energy which economically
is more justifiable for use as energy source than water. In addition there is
scope for renewable energy production using both solar and wind power. Therefore
the decision to building any new dams should be based mainly on water
requirements for human population and agriculture. Increasing the levels of
water available for irrigation while minimizing the loss of agricultural lands
to the development is important and we must ensure a net gain of irrigated
land, thus increasing the production capability of the region.
Besides
attention to the net gain of agricultural lands, there are other considerations
that should be taken into accounts, as follows:
· Will the proposed dam increase underground water?
· Will the dam ensure safe drinking water?
· Will constructing the dam separate linked communities
and disrupt social contacts in the area?
· How much rangeland will be affected by the development;
whether it would detrimentally affect existing livestock that in the area?
· Will the lake formed affect forest trees or restrict
growth of fruit trees?
· Will the proposed dam affect the environment and wildlife?
· Will the proposed dam enhance tourism in the area?
Increasing
the Efficiency of Irrigation
Current
methods of the use of irrigation water are very wasteful. The use of furrow or
basin irrigation as practiced by our farmers has lead to the deterioration of
land on many farms because erosion, salt accumulation, and removal the top
soil. Poor irrigation because fields were uneven reduced crop yields because of
insufficient water of the high ground, while the lower levels are flooded.
There is a vital need for more modern irrigation practices where water usage is
minimized and water distribution is more even so ensuring adequate water for
the growing crops.
The new
irrigation technologies of sprinkler and drip irrigation should, in the main,
replace the current furrow or basin irrigation. Where the latter irrigation
methods are used it is important that the fields are even, the main irrigation
canals remain intact, while a siphon is used to transfer water from the canals into
the furrows in order to avoid destroying the integrity of the main canals.
Using the siphon method decreases soil erosion and ensures the integrity of the
main canals, thus avoiding the destruction of the existing furrows or basin
borders.
In the
case of a dam proposal where the basic justification for the dam was to
increase irrigated lands downstream, far away from the location where the
proposed dams were to be constructed then the basic justification ignored local
gains and was therefore unbalanced. I suggest that in the case of a proposal
that has been agreed but construction has not commenced immediate action is
taken to send a team of experts to visit the proposed site and review the
proposal in line with the new policies that have been advanced above. The team
would present a detailed report that either supported the construction of the
dam or proposed an alternative.
In
summary I suggest a strategy based on the following principles:
•
That
energy production should only be looked at as a bi-product of a dam, not the
main reason for which the dam is to be constructed. Energy production should be
based mainly on fossil fuel.
•
Ensure a
net gain of agricultural lands in areas close to the sites where the dam is to
be constructed;
•
Minimize
as much as possible the flooding of agricultural lands;
•
The
proposed dam should not negatively affect the social or the economic status of
the region;
•
Other
considerations would include the degree of underground water replenishment in
the region, increasing the supply of household water in the vicinity of the
dam, and the possibility of enhancing tourism in the area.
•
The
economic appraisal should include all above factors to fully justify
constructing the dam.
•
To ensure
application of adequate technology for use of irrigation water, it is essential
that agricultural extension puts as its priority educating farmers on
irrigation methodology including training in the use of sprinkler and/or drip
methodology to avoid excessive water use, decrease erosion and soil salinity.
*Senior
Agronomist, Internationl Consultant
Former
FAO and WORLD BANK staff
