No Development On Water Shortage In River Asi

HATAY - Ali Sensoz, Director of Public Waterworks Administration in southern province of Hatay, said on Monday that there was no development despite the pledge made by Syrian President Bashar al-Asad that the gates of a dam in Syria would be opened.
Speaking to A.A. correspondent, Sensoz said water level dropped in River Asi after Syria closed the gates of its dam.
Referring to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with Syrian President to overcome the water shortage at the river, Sensoz said, "although Syrian party promised to open the gates, there hasn't been any change in water level."
Separately, Antakya Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Celal Civelek said Turkish farmers were in difficulty because of the water shortage, "we have no other date to wait. Gates of the dam should be opened urgently," he added.
Asi, also known as Orontes, is an important river of eastern Anatolian region and has a total length of 450 km. It springs in Lebanon and flows to the Mediterranean after passing through Syria, and entering to Turkey. Most parts of the river is within Syrian territories.
(AY-MS)