Groundwater in Armed Conflict Zones

Presenter

Saeed Mhanna
Geologist and Hydrogeologist
University of Neuchatel
Switzerland

Description

Armed conflicts often cause long-lasting environmental damage, with water resources being particularly affected. In this seminar, I will present two case studies from Syria and Ukraine, illustrating the diverse and far-reaching consequences of war on water systems. In Syria’s Orontes River Basin, the abandonment of irrigated croplands following the conflict in 2011 led to large-scale groundwater recovery, including the reemergence of springs that had dried up in the 1990s. In contrast, the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine had impacts extending beyond surface water loss, contributing to a significant decline in Total Water Storage (TWS), as revealed by GRACE satellite data. In the absence of in-situ hydrological measurements, my research employs remote sensing techniques—including gravimetry, InSAR, and land use change mapping—to better understand and quantify the impacts of armed conflict on water resources.