Water Intervention Typologies 

Observing Historical Sites of the Orontes Basin - © 2023 Joelle Deeb (CC BY-NC 4.0)

There is no denying the complexity of the Orontes River region. The abundance and exploitation of water resources play a significant role in the development of human settlement and the geographic spread of activities. (Weulersse 1940). In the higher stretch of the basin are the earliest known water infrastructures, which belong to the Bronze Age. These structures were expanded during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras and renovated beginning in the 1920s (Chambrade and Saadé-Sbeih 2015). While the Orontes River and the numerous streams in the basin were the primary sources of water until recently, over 50% of the water drawn in the basin is now supplied by underground resources. Additionally, springs supplied primarily by karstic hydrogeological formations account for more than 80% of the surface water.   (Zwahlen et al. 2014; Droubi 2013). Groundwater management has emerged as a pressing concern and is closely linked to the socio-economic system, which was in part molded by the availability of water.