Syria is among the most climate-vulnerable and water-stressed countries in the Middle East. While it faces rising temperatures, declining precipitation, increasingly frequent droughts and unsustainable groundwater extraction, it has weakened infrastructure, institutions and limited public investment in climate adaptation. Some of the most affected sites are the Barada and Awaj basins, which supply freshwater for the Damascus metropolitan area and surrounding agricultural communities.
The WATER-RES project will target these areas and take an integrated, climate-resilient approach by strengthening climate-informed water governance through improved groundwater monitoring, data systems, and institutional capacity; climate-proofing community water infrastructure and promoting efficient water use and reuse; and helping smallholder farmers adopt climate-smart irrigation, climate-adapted crops, and ecosystem-based adaptation.
Implemented by ACTED with the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment as co-executing entity, the project is expected to benefit around 198,620 people directly and 1.5 million indirectly. It will build institutional and community capacity for climate-informed water management, improve the performance and efficiency of water infrastructure, reduce groundwater depletion, and support the adoption of climate-smart agriculture.
As the first GCF-funded project in Syria, WATER-RES advances the Fund’s objective to strengthen the resilience of highly vulnerable communities, as well as GCF’s strategic priorities on water security and adaptation.
