Trans-Boundary Waters of Turkey and An Examination From The Legal Aspects: Syria Example

Abstract

Despite the fact that water resources are quite limited on earth, the rapid increase inpopulation, unconscious consumption, pollution, and, irregular urbanisation led to the consequence of water as a significant problem on earth. Thus, trans-boundary water resources have always been a problem between countries throughout the course of history.The trans-boundary water resources in Turkey are the rivers Fırat and Dicle, as well asAsi, Meric, Coruh and Aras. Turkey, for several years, has accepted the rivers Fırat and Dicleas trans-boundary water, and has defended that these two rivers constitute a single basin.However, Syria has accepted Fırat and Dicle as international water and defended that these two rivers constitute two separate basins. Due to this disagreement about how to accept Fıratand Dicle, the problem has remained unsolved in the one-to-one negotiations.Turkey attempted to solve the problem through a three-stage plan, but Syria's approach was not moderate. On the basis of the protocol of economic cooperation between the two parties in 1987, Syria takes 500 m3 of water per second from the river Fırat. On 1 October 2010, Turkey and Syria have signed a treaty for the construction of a Waterpump Station inthe land of Syria, in order for Syria to take water from the river Dicle. On the basis of this treaty, Syria will be able to take a maximum of 1.250 billion m3 of water on the river Dicle.If the National Assembly (TBMM) approves of the Treaty, then it will be legalised and come into force. This treaty is signed by Turkey with the presupposition that Firat and Dicle constitute a single basin.The present study aims at considering the solutions for the problems concerning border transcending water between us-Turkey and our neighbour Syria.