Al-Ghab Plain
The Ghab Plain (
The valley was flooded for centuries by the waters of the Orontes River, which rendered it a swamp.[3][4] The "Ghab project", beginning in the 1950s, drained the valley to make it habitable, arable land,[5] providing an extra 41,000 hectares (160 sq mi) of irrigated farmland.[6]
The valley separates the
Fisheries
Before its drainage, the Ghab was the center of the catfish (
Ghab project
The project started in 1953 and is considered one of the most important hydraulic projects in northern Syria. Owing to a slight slope (0.10%) in the Orontes in the area of al-Asharinah, the river did not provide enough water to the surrounding territories. In Ancient times, several major dykes and dams had been built on the Orontes river in the Ghab plain, transforming the western end of the region from marshes into arable farming land. The Syrian government intended to replicate this plan themselves. The project drained the plain where the River Orontes flowed. The plain was entirely drained in 1968 and provided 11,000 families with lands.[5]
The Ghab project made large areas suitable for agriculture, and new irrigation systems were employed. The system included
Other advantages of the Ghab project were the improvements in the systems of communication through the building of road and rail networks, previously not possible due to the swamps. In addition, malaria decreased because there was no longer stagnant water.[5]
Al-Ruj Plain
Northeast of the Ghab Plain is found another smaller plain, known as al-Ruj Plain (Rouj basin).[8] It is located between the Ghab Plain, and Amouk Plain. This is an agriculturally prosperous enclave just west of the town of Idlib.[2] Many ancient archaeological sites are located there.
References
- ^ a b Federal Research Division, 2004, p. 74.
- ^ a b Topography and Hydrology Map of the Orontes valley Archived 2017-04-13 at the Wayback Machine water-security.org
- ^ a b Sofer, 1999, p. 205.
- ^ South, Coleman. Syria. Tarrytown, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2006. Print.
- ^ a b c d de Miranda, 2007, p. 267.
- ^ Salman, 2009, p. 28.
- ^ J. Gaulmier, "Notes sur la pêche du silure dans la vallée du Ĝāb", Mélanges de l'Institut Français de Damas 1 (1929), p. 19-25
- ^ Wikimapia location
Bibliography
- Federal Research Division (2004), Syria a Country Study, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4191-5022-7
- Sofer, Arnon (1999), Rivers of fire: the conflict over water in the Middle East, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 978-0-8476-8511-0
- de Miranda, Adriana (2007), Water architecture in the lands of Syria: the water-wheels, L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER, ISBN 978-88-8265-433-7
- Salman, Salman M. A. (2009), The World Bank Policy for Projects on International Waterways: An Historical and Legal Analysis, World Bank Publications, ISBN 978-0-8213-7953-0