Syrian Civil War Brings Negative Environmental Consequences

The civil war in Syria has resulted in the widespread destruction of water facilities. (Wikimedia Commons)

The reservoir formed by Al-Duwaysat Dam in Idlib province dried up for the first time in its 27-year history this November. It had been full only two years ago. Phys.org reports that the reservoir, typically utilized for irrigation and water supply, was drained by farmers attempting to save their crops after low rainfall last winter. 

Currently, Syria faces its worst drought in the past 70 years, per Al Jazeera. The water crisis has spread, affecting more than five million Syrians who directly rely on river water, as well as causing hundreds of kilometers of agricultural land facing destruction. With loss of water and subsequent loss of farming, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the region may face increased risk of conflict. 

The ongoing civil war in Syria has resulted in the widespread destruction of water facilities. Syria possesses 40 percent less drinking water than it did ten years ago, and only 50 percent of water and other sanitation systems are functioning properly across the country. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)  suggests that this crisis may be a  direct result of the war. 

Throughout the war, state and rebel groups have targeted reservoirs and sewage treatment plants, resulting in more than 90 percent of the population lacking access to safe water resources, reports World Politics Review. 

Due to climate change, Syria began to experience water scarcity before the war, but the UNOCHA reports that the civil war caused damage and neglect to water treatment facilities, irrigation facilities, and wastewater treatment plants. Specifically, the wastewater treatment plants assisting Damascus and Aleppo were fully destroyed in 2012 by hostilities, leaving the capital of Syria releasing untreated sewage into the local environment. 

Beyond water and wastewater, other environmental concerns have been exacerbated by the conflict. Arab Reform Initiative reports that between 2012 and 2019, Syria lost 20.4 percent of tree-cover, with 89 percent of loss occurring in the governorates of Idlib and Lattakia (both of which are rebel-held). One of the biggest culprits is forest fires, which have steeply increased during the war as a result of bombings. 

The war has also led to the destruction of oil refineries, per the Planetary Security Initiative. When ISIS was most active in the region around 2012, the United States conducted a bombing campaign of oil refineries, with the goal of preventing ISIS from seizing these sites. This was followed by a similar Russian campaign resulting in the destruction of thousands of refineries. This tactic created energy insecurity that resulted in the construction of make-shift refineries run by civilians and children. Many of these makeshift refineries were shut down after protests in 2017, but they are still commonplace in non-regime-controlled regions, including Idlib.

The civil war in Syria has exacerbated its environmental crises, which were a "ticking bomb," before the war, according to The Century Foundation. Syrian political writer Yassin al-Haj Saleh now suggests that Syrians are facing an "imminent threat of famine," as the regime monopolizes public resources for its own benefit.