If I were able to rewind time I would travel back and advise most of the Middle Eastern countries as they all have different social and economic conditions and amounts or access to natural resources- water. Countries would include Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. All of these countries would need to define their goals and objectives and then translate them into policies, as this is an observation seen in countries that have success in efficient use of their water. I would then tell them information about canals, wells, water pipelines, ways to use rainwater and recycling of water. I am guessing if I am traveling back I would have gone to school to be a water resource engineer and have the knowledge to teach them individually how to construct a good system that will stand the test of time and take into account there specific constraints and advantages. I would do my best to give them as much information as possible on water resource management.

From the bit that I was able to gather from reading these article and some miscellaneous research I have done to gain a better understanding of this topic, it doesn’t seem that there is a whole lot that any of these countries are doing correctly that I would want to keep the same. I would recommend that they involve the citizens of these countries to come up with principals that the majority can agree on, come to terms with surrounding countries to keep the peace and promote education and innovation.

I think that the leaders would view my recommendations as worth implementing because I would try and make changes that would produce short-term benefits. This would allow everyone to see some small benefits, which would get the people excited to see the bigger long-term benefits. I am not going to kid myself and think that it would not be a tough challenge to get started and to know that initially there would be a lot of resistance; as most people do not like change and there are many factors to consider that could make it seem impossible. I would present them with as much data and information as possible to show them that if we do not make a drastic change now, they will inevitably cease to exist.

Three pieces of information I would need about the past:

• Detailed information about water management practices
• Social and economic conditions
• Information on the climate and natural resources

I would think that this information would be available from the library and Internet research. I would want to make sure that I get as much primary information as I can but secondary information will also be helpful. As with anything else if I were to use the Internet for research purposes I would have to be careful and make sure the information is accurate.

If I were to travel back into time to talk about these water problems that Syria is having I would go directly to them. First off reading the article and knowing that Syria, Iraq, and Iran are losing water the fastest. Also it is a known fact that 117 million acre-feet stored freshwater vanished due to the lack of leadership and policies. Farmers from Syria had to abandon their land because of the lack of water that was needed in Syria. I few things that I would try to do to help this issue of losing water is first look for a leader that would take action and look for a change. Second off I would implement strategies that would make it harder to waste water, and cut down on the amount used each day. Lastly, instead of having these fights with other people and countries. I would advise and create a plan of action that would allow countries to come together to help conserve water and sharing a water source so that people aren’t likely to hoard water such as Turkey did. According to religion and beliefs, I think they need to disregard that for now. Water as we all know is needed in life. Without water people are going to die off. Yes, religion and beliefs are important but in this case we need people to realize that and take charge bringing people together and on the same track of conserving water.

 

It’s hard to say if there is anything that I would keep the same because it seems as if everyone is having troubles conserving water. I would say this Jordanians seem like they did a decent job as conserving water although on the other hand there has been people fleeing to them. Water will eventually run out therefor yes, they do a good job conserving it but at the same time they are going to need some changes to bring in more water to compromise all the people coming in.

 

I think the leaders wouldn’t view my recommendations because I may not be credible to them. I’m not one of them and they may not like an outsider coming in and telling them what to do. At the same time if the water crisis go bad enough I think any changes that I brought up is something that all the leaders may think about regardless if its what they want to hear.

 

History needed:

 

What kind of policies is there if any are these countries using?

How much rain are the countries getting and catching for water?

How much water are these countries going through on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis?

 

Great place that I would go to for this information would be the BSU library and get something that might bee peer reviewed. These are always a really good source for a research paper. Any article that has credibility would be a huge plus just to show these leaders of these countries that you have some credibility so they might put some thought into your action plan.

If I could travel back in time to advise Middle Eastern leaders about water resources, I would be very nervous to do so. I would need a lot more knowledge and training than I already have about water so that I would sound smart and have solid solutions. I was interested in the water crisis of Syria and Jordan. Syria is running out of water but the civil war refugees are fleeing to Jordan, a country that already has trouble providing water to their people. Jordan is now in more danger of running out of water due to the influx of demand. Based on the knowledge I have now about the issue I would advise them to be aware of potential water problems in the future. I would advise them to draft treaties and agreements on sharing water rights and conserving rivers and lakes. Jordan currently has many wells but experts are worried the water contained in them will only last a few years. I would recommend that they construct a solid water pipeline (one that does not leak). I would also recommend that they find ways to capture and use rainwater (during wet seasons) and recycle water.

What would I recommend they keep the same? I would say that Jordanians have been very good about conserving water because they have always struggled with their water resources. I would say keep doing that. I feel this is something we should all be doing to conserve water. Only use what you need, and don’t waste any.

What would I recommend they do differently? I understand how tense it may be when you have such strong religions battling for a sacred resource, however I feel religion and greed need to be put aside. The leaders of these countries need to step up and make hard decisions and maybe enlist people to help them come up with new ideas on how to conserve water. If changes aren’t made, who knows what may happen.

I’m not sure that the leaders would view my recommendations as worth implementing. If they value the opinions of their people, then I think they would. I worry that because I am not apart of their country they would be offended that I am coming in and pointing out insufficiencies.

The three pieces of information that I think I would need from the past are:

1. History of droughts and rainfall patterns. This might be a good indicator of what may happen in the future.
2. I know global warming is a current issue but it has been occurring over years. I would think data on how global warming may have been and how it currently is affecting these regions could be important information to have.
3. Documents or plans on why they built water systems. Why did they choose this way? How was it beneficial to them at the time?

To start looking for these answers I would go to the library. The librarian would be very helpful in finding these resources and pointing me in the right direction. I could use the internet but it might take longer to find valuable information.