The right to water in Syria and the agrarian issue

Introduction

The right to water constitutes an essential entry point to understanding the agrarian issue in Syria, not as an abstract legal right, but as a socio-political relationship that has been historically shaped through a complex interaction between agrarian community, the authority, and water resources. In the Syrian context, water has not been a neutral technical element; rather, it has been a dynamic factor that has contributed to structuring patterns of agricultural ownership, reproducing inequalities within rural areas, and shaping farmers’ awareness of their rights and their limits.

Historically, regulating access to, and distribution of, water has been closely tied to shifts in power, ranging from local customs that governed the use of springs and irrigation networks to the intervention of the central state through agrarian reform laws and expansive irrigation policies. These transformations, however, did not necessarily achieve water justice; rather, they often produced shifts in favor of large landowners and reinforced political control over water resources as a tool for managing and disciplining rural areas.

With the growing impacts of climate change, the deterioration of water governance, and the fragmentation of state institutions during years of conflict, the right to water in Syria has become increasingly fragile. Water scarcity has coincided with the severe depletion of groundwater, the destruction of infrastructure, the proliferation of de facto authorities, and the use of water as a means of pressure and conflict. In this context, this study examines the right to water as a central element in analyzing the Syrian agrarian issue, revealing the structural relationship between power, resources, and the stability of agrarian community.