Evaluation of Water Resources and Hydraulic Influences in the Restoration of the Western Part of the Mesopotamian Marshlands

The purpose of this study is to assess the water resources and water conveyance system of the western part of the Mesopotamian marshes (Al-Hammar marsh) as well as develop a water conveyance system to distribute water throughout the western Al-Hammar marsh. These processes are significant to identify the current restoration problems and help to create restoration strategies for the marsh. Also, proper management strategy to the Al-Hammar marsh is necessary to preserve the marsh ecosystem, irrigate lands, and provide domestic necessities in the villages. The overall project is divided into three main chapters which address the current ecological and hydrological issues in the western Al-Hammar marsh. Chapter 1 assesses the water used in the restoration of the western Al-Hammar after 2003. Chapter 1 also provides updated calculations concerning the water balance and the water needed for the planned restoration which promotes more efficient water management for the marsh. Chapter 2 looks at the current condition of the water conveyance system in the western Al-Hammar in order to identify its problems, such as water loss, hydraulic problems, and inefficiency. Creating a high efficiency distribution system for the water supply will increase the rate of inundation and promote better management of surface water resources as well as obtain benefits for agricultural irrigation. Chapter 3 discusses how the restoration could be improved with current available surface water resources using multiple feeding points instead several feeder canals, which improves the health of the marsh and rehabilitate the area. The results of the water balance have showed a deficit in water supplied to the marsh, even using the drainage water from the Main Outfall Drain (MOD), due to the high evapotranspiration (ET) and limited surface water resources, which do not have a constant flow to the marsh. The feeder canals are not efficient enough to supply water for both irrigation and restoration purposes in their current condition. Furthermore, they have many issues, including operation problems, insufficient maintenance, and water losses. Improving the feeder canals by creating a lined network of irrigation canals serve both the farmland and increase the restoration of the marsh

Alterações climáticas, migrações forçadas, instabilidade política: o cenário na África Subsariana e no Médio Oriente

Neste nosso trabalho final de Mestrado (TFM-Dissertação) iremos analisar as migrações de África e Médio Oriente rumo aos Países da União Europeia, cuja origem se deve às alterações climáticas, de modo direto ou indireto. A crise internacional, conflitos armados em países africanos e do Médio Oriente (Líbia, Síria, Somália, Ruanda, para citar alguns) num contexto de alterações climáticas, levaram a que um cada vez maior número de refugiados, rume em condições precárias aos Países da União Europeia por via terrestre ou através do Mediterrâneo. A gravidade dos fenómenos tem consequências que podem ser desastrosas, havendo uma tendência para este fenómeno se tornar problemático, sobretudo em África e na Ásia, sendo que este tipo de alterações pode ser gradual e incluir casos como a subida do nível das águas do mar, a desflorestação e a desertificação, noutros casos, podem tratar-se de fenómenos climáticos que surgem de maneira súbita, de forma mais ou menos inesperada e que incluem catástrofes como cheias violentas, secas prolongadas, tempestades tropicais, deslizamentos de terras, sismos, etc. O fenómeno torna-se difícil de ser compreendido uma vez que, muitas vezes, as causas que direta ou indiretamente levam à migração resultam de um conjunto de fenómenos económicos, ambientais, sociais, políticos ou demográficos, sem que se saiba qual destes foi o mais determinante. As migrações do Burundi para a Tanzânia, assim como a migração dos Sírios para a Europa serão os nossos casos de estudo. Cheias de caudais violentos, secas prolongadas com a consequente erosão dos solos, contaminação dos lençóis freáticos, desmatamentos desordenados, aridez dos solos, escassez de alimentos, encontram-se entre os que mais facilmente são identificados como potenciadores deste fenómeno, e perante este cenário as perguntas para as quais procuramos resposta neste trabalho são: - Qual a relação entre as Alterações Climáticas e o atual cenário politico em África e no Médio Oriente? - Qual o impacto das migrações forçadas nas políticas dos países da União Europeia?In this final work for Master Degree (TFM-Master), we will analyze climate changedriven African and Middle Eastern migration to European Union countries, in a direct or indirect way. Exacerbated by climate change, an increasing number of refugees, fleeing precarious conditions created by international crisis and armed conflict, are heading into the European countries, arriving by either land or across the Mediterranean. This severe phenomena has disastrous consequences. It tends to be further problematic in Africa and Asia, where this type of climate change can be gradual. The consequence of this change includes rising sea levels, deforestation, and desertification. In other cases, these may be sudden weather events and unexpected disasters, e.g., violent floods, prolonged drought, tropical storms, landslides, and earthquakes. It can be difficult to understand, as causation, both direct and indirect, results from a number of different environmental, economic, social, political and demographic factors, varied in their degree of relevance. The focus of our case study will be the migrations from Burundi to Tanzania, as well as the migration of Syrians to Europe. Violent floods, groundwater contamination, deforestation, soil drought, food shortages, and prolonged droughts with consequent soil erosion are some factors easily identified as enhancing this phenomenon. Faced with this scenario, the questions we try to address are: -- What is the relationship between climate change and the current political scene in Africa and the Middle East? --What is the impact of forced migration in the policies of the European Union countries