The amount of water that is technically and economically exploitable is 80% of current available resources. This reveals the constraints on water resources and the challenges that lie ahead regarding the urgency of an integrated management approach.

The Nile River is the main shared surface water resource. The management of the Nile basin waters has historically been staggered and sectorial

The Zayandehroud Basin covers 41,500km2 in central Iran and includes three main rivers: Zayandehroud River, Pelasjan River and Samandegan River

While the annual yield of the Zayandehroud River has been significantly increased as a result of water transfers in the past decade

The Iraqi Marshes are located in the lower Mesopotamian basin, in the vast floodplain wetlands created by the Tigris-Euphrates river system.

For many years, negotiations between Turkey and Syria over the Orontes or Asi River were linked to issues concerning the Euphrates and Tigris rivers shared between Turkey, Syria and Iraq, and progress of the former was dependent on progress of the latter

The length of the river is open to discussion. Depending on the source consulted, this ranges from 248km to 556km. Rainfall in the basin is about 644mm annually. The average temperature is around 16°C. The climate is semi-arid to arid in Lebanon, with annual rainfall of about 400mm

The annual amount of water used in Syria is about 15BCM. This comes from the Euphrates (50 per cent) and the Asi River basins (20 per cent). Of the water usage from the Asi River, 2,230MCM are used for irrigation, 320MCM for domestic purposes and 270MCM for industrial purposes. The total amount of water withdrawn from the Asi River is 2,730MCM

Turkey-Syria Relations were affected throughout the Cold War era and into the 1990s. The water issue became a foreign relations matter once again when both countries began using the waters of the Euphrates-Tigris basin in the 1960s and building irrigation and energy-related projects.

The total long-term annual renewable water resources are estimated at 120BCM, of which about 78BCM go to surface run-off, and groundwater recharge is estimated at about 42BCM per annum, 11BCM by qanats (underground water supply systems) and springs, plus 31BCM by wells.