The story of Turkey\u2019s monopoly over the waters of crossing rivers is not new nor is related to the retention of the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, as in the current period. Rather, it’s an old one that dates back to the fifties of the last century.
\nIn 1950, Turkey diverted the course of the Queiq River into its territory to prevent Syria from benefiting from it. After that, Queiq turned from a river into a drain of sewage water Infested with frogs & Leishmania parasites. It emits an unpleasant odor that disturbs passersby and residents.
\nAlthough before Turkey diverted its course, it was one of the main sources of water in Aleppo. People depended on it for drinking and irrigation, as well as a place for fishing.
\nThe length of the Queiq River is 129 km, of which 110 km pass inside Syrian territory. It descends from the Akpinar spring in Kilis, Gaziantep Plateau of Turkey.
\nIn 1921, a border demarcation agreement was signed between Turkey and France, which occupied Syria at the time known as the Henry Franklin-Bouillon (Treaty of Ankara) on sharing the river’s water. But Queiq died due to Turkish drying.
\nIn 2008, it regained life after being fed with the water of the Euphrates River but its water was lower than the actual river level before drying up. Eventually to stop again with the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
\nDo you expect that Turkey intends to repeat the episode of the Queiq River by monopolizing the waters of the Euphrates River?<\/p>\n
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