The development of irrigation in Syria became essential concern for the Ministry Of Irrigation in Syria after the decline of irrigation water. The Khabur River, a principal tributary of the Euphrates, flows entirely within Syria, although it is largely fed from karst springs that are recharged by precipitation that falls in the adjacent Turkish mountains. These springs have traditionally provided a constant base flow of 40 m3/s in 1980, but had fallen to 14 m3/s in 1998 and were at 7.38 m3/s in 2005. This decline is attributed to the increasing use of wells for irrigation where more than 29,000 were in operation by 2003. Since a large reservoir downstream depends on water from the springs, there was a consequent decrease in the area that could be irrigated from the State system, from 55,000 hectare in 1993 to 36,000 hectare in 2003.
The absence of flow in the river has effectively destroyed the livelihood of hundreds of farmers who had drawn irrigation water directly from the river, from its headwaters to its mouth at the Euphrates.
The Khabour river basin new irrigation project is supporting a large area and therefore, it supports the enhancement and development of the irrigation and water resources utilization in the area. BECT's consulting experts provided an integrated Urban Design, Irrigation Network Design and Pumping Station Design.