Doctoral thesis in the Department of Geography / Faculty of Education for HumanIties University of Basra - Assessment of the importance of implementing the Shatt al-Arab Dam in the development of water resources in Basra province _ for the student (MarwaFaridOdeh Al-Atabi)
I ate the thesis (The Shatt al-Arab River is of great environmental and economic importance in Basra province because it extends from north to south for an estimated distance of 200 km, and is the source of the basis for meeting the water requirements of various human activities throughout the province. The riverbed has suffered from the sharp and frequent rise of salinity of water, which threatens the reality of human activities and the entire ecosystem of the river, due to the increased incursion of seawater from the Arabian Gulf towards the upper reaches of the river bed to reach the north of basra city center in response to the reduced flow of fresh water from the main tributaries of the river)
And the thesis aims to reveal . . .
1. Analysis of spatial and temporal variation of saline compositions in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab River in order to diagnose the main sources of salts in the riverbed
. 2. View the natural and human characteristics and its statement to all elected sites for the establishment of the incisive dam on the riverbed.
3. Detect all possible environmental impacts of the construction of the dam at all elected sites, in order to help determine the optimal location of the dam on the riverbed)
Thesis concluded
1. The salinity of running water in the Shatt al-Arab River is generally exposed to a continuous rise over time and as the riverbed descends south towards the downstream area of the Arabian Gulf.
2. The sharp rise in salts in the river's waters during 2009 and 2018 and the arrival of salinity levels at the Basra city site to more than 20 g/L gives a strong indication that the extent of the salt incursion of seawater has exceeded basra's borders.
3. Although the sharp rise of the salinity of the river's water is due to the increased penetration of the sea waters of the Arabian Gulf, the high concentration of salinity of the river water in Basra city compared to the Siba station in many years gives a strong indication of the existence of sources other than the sea supplying the river water with salts, most notably marsh water.
4. The repetition of the phenomenon of the incursion of seawater and the sharp rise of the salinity of the waters of the River Shatt al-Arab, which extends to the north of Basra city, are the realistic reasons for the demand of many researchers and officials to establish a regulatory dam on the course of the Shatt al-Arab River, so the main objective of establishing the dam was not to store water and raise .
5. Although the importance of establishing the dam and its purposes on the rivercourses is varied, its main importance lies in raising the water levels in the riverbed in front of the dam for the purpose of benefiting from it, so it is necessary to seriously consider the water stored in the course of the Shatt al-Arab River in the event of the establishment of the dam on the riverbed.
The thesis recommended that the establishment of the dam of any kind and in all elected sites have significant hydrological-environmental effects on the river water, and contributes to changing the hydrochemical behavior of the river, so the study recommends the following:
1. existing and achievable.
2. The need to seek to implement sewage treatment projects both inside and outside Basra, and the possibility of investing them in meeting agricultural requirements rather than draining them directly into the riverbed.
3. Seeking to develop an integrated plan to manage the marshes scattered in Basra province to control them and prevent their indiscriminate mixing with the waters of the Shatt al-Arab River, through the restriction of marshes in specific areas and the establishment of many systems and payment education to control their outlets and banks.
4. All Iraqi provinces should be obliged to comply with their water quotas and not exceed water rations, as this will eventually contribute to the reduction of water share reaching the River Shatt al-Arab because it is located in the far south of Iraq.
