Name:|_______________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______
Middle Eastern Environment (Water Issues)
GPS: SS7G6a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water
impacts irrigation and drinking water.
Water






Water is a natural resource that is unequally distributed in the Middle East.
Turkey and Iraq share the Tigris and Euphrates river systems.
Israel, Syria, and Jordan share the Jordan River.
Saudi Arabia has almost no water and is made up of mostly desert.
Iran has access to rivers in some areas, but is mostly desert.
Irrigation is necessary for farming.
Irrigation
 Methods:
 water wheels,
 irrigation ditches and canals
 animal power to lift water from underground wells.
 Israel and Saudi Arabia use drip irrigation – the use of computers that
measure out how much water each plant receives.
 Desalination is expensive and complex in technology.
Water Pollution
 Water pollution has been a growing problem in the Middle East.
 Increased demand for irrigation causes overuse of rivers and streams.
 Chemical fertilizers used by farmers have caused contaminated water supplies.
 Constant planting and fertilizer use have led to the build-up of salt levels in soil,
which destroys the soil.
 Many cities and towns have grown rapidly, but there are not many effective ways
to manage garbage and treat sewage.
Conflict
 Access to water causes conflict because countries have to share.
 Water is unequally distributed across the region.
CRCT Test Prep pages 82-83
233. Which river do Syria, Israel, and Jordan share?
A. Euphrates
B. Jordan
C. Nile
D. Tigris
234. How has the building of dams created problems for countries sharing rivers in SW
Asia?
A. Dams are too expensive to build to be practical.
B. Dams limit the water available to countries further downstream.
C. Few countries have the technology needed to be able to build dams.
D. Countries in SW Asia are not allowed to build dams along shared rivers.
235. What is one problem chemical fertilizers cause for farmers?
A. Chemical fertilizers make farm animals sick.
B. Chemicals have led to the build-up of salt levels in the soil.
C. Fertilizers are too expensive for anyone in SW Asia to use.
D. Few countries in SW Asia have factories to make fertilizers.
236. How has the use of chemical fertilizers affected water supplies in many countries in
SW Asia?
A. Use of chemical fertilizers means crops must be watered constantly.
B. Enormous amounts of water must be used to produce chemical fertilizers.
C. Water supplies have been contaminated by the chemicals through run-off from
the fields.
D. Chemical fertilizers have had very little effect on local water supplies in SW
Asia.
237. Why aren’t desalinization and drip irrigation used more in SW Asia?
A. Most countries do not know about these technologies.
B. Drip irrigation is not very effective in a hot, dry climate.
C. Few countries in SW Asia have access to seawater.
D. These technologies are very expensive for the countries to use.
Name:|_______________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______
Middle Eastern Environment (Water Issues)
GPS: SS7G6a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water
impacts irrigation and drinking water.
Water






is a natural
that is
distributed
in the Middle East.
and
share the
and
river
systems.
, Syria, and
share the
River.
Saudi
has almost
water and is made up of mostly
.
has
to
in some areas, but is
desert.
is necessary for
.
Irrigation
 Methods:
 water
,
 irrigation ditches and __________

power to lift
from underground
.
 Israel and Saudi Arabia use
irrigation – the use of
that
___
out how much
each
receives.

is
and complex in
Water Pollution
 Water
has been a growing
 Increased
for irrigation causes
streams.
 Chemical
used by
water supplies.
 Constant
and
of
levels in soil, which
 Many
and towns have
effective
to manage
Conflict

___________.
 Water is
to water causes
.
in the Middle East.
of
and
have caused
__________
use have led to the build-up
the soil.
rapidly, but there are
many
and treat
.
because countries have to
distributed across the
.
CRCT Test Prep pages 82-83
233. Which river do Syria, Israel, and Jordan share?
A. Euphrates
B. Jordan
C. Nile
D. Tigris
234. How has the building of dams created problems for countries sharing rivers in SW
Asia?
A. Dams are too expensive to build to be practical.
B. Dams limit the water available to countries further downstream.
C. Few countries have the technology needed to be able to build dams.
D. Countries in SW Asia are not allowed to build dams along shared rivers.
235. What is one problem chemical fertilizers cause for farmers?
A. Chemical fertilizers make farm animals sick.
B. Chemicals have led to the build-up of salt levels in the soil.
C. Fertilizers are too expensive for anyone in SW Asia to use.
D. Few countries in SW Asia have factories to make fertilizers.
236. How has the use of chemical fertilizers affected water supplies in many countries in
SW Asia?
A. Use of chemical fertilizers means crops must be watered constantly.
B. Enormous amounts of water must be used to produce chemical fertilizers.
C. Water supplies have been contaminated by the chemicals through run-off from
the fields.
D. Chemical fertilizers have had very little effect on local water supplies in SW
Asia.
237. Why aren’t desalinization and drip irrigation used more in SW Asia?
A. Most countries do not know about these technologies.
B. Drip irrigation is not very effective in a hot, dry climate.
C. Few countries in SW Asia have access to seawater.
D. These technologies are very expensive for the countries to use.