Several social media posts have claimed that the Euphrates River has dried up. 

Me: Nice weather dowh hari ni.

A&W: Very hot indeed.

Me: Not very nice when Euphrate River dried.

A&W: 🥹🤌🏾

Me: 🥹🤌🏾

— Der Wanderer (@ahnafirsyad_76) December 14, 2024

“…not very nice when Euphrates River dried,” reads part of a post shared on December 14, 2024, on X (formerly Twitter).

A keyword search on X shows a list of posts with the claim that the river has dried up. 

“The bible predicts the Euphrates River to dry up and it dried up,” another X user said.

A Facebook post also suggests that biblical prophecies have predicted that the Euphrates River, the longest river in Western Asia, will dry up and has eventually dried up.

Has the important Euphrates River run dry? This is what we know.

LIFELINE OF WESTERN ASIA

Stretching over 2,800 kilometres, the Euphrates River is Western Asia’s longest and one of its most historically significant waterways. 

It originates from southeastern Turkey, and carved a path through Syria and Iraq, before merging with the Tigris River to form the Shatt Al-Arab – which flows into the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates River has not only shaped the geography of the region, but it has also nurtured a rich and significant part of its civilisation.

HISTORICAL PILLAR OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILISATION

The Euphrates was central to the rise of ancient Mesopotamia—home to the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. These early civilisations thrived by harnessing the river for irrigation, enabling agriculture to flourish in an otherwise arid landscape. It equally served as a critical conduit for trade and communication. 

The Euphrates continues to serve as a vital source of freshwater for over 23 million people across the region. In an arid and often unstable part of the world, the river is a lifeline for industry. However, this vital resource is presently under huge threat.

RISING TEMPERATURE POSES THREAT, UNCERTAINTY

Decades of rising temperatures and declining rainfall have led to severe desertification, particularly in Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes. Once lush and teeming with life, these wetlands are fading into arid wastelands. 

In 2019, Iraqi scientists reported that between 1981 and 2016, large sections of the marshes’ natural vegetation vanished due to climate change and declining water flow. In the following years, Iraq faced consecutive droughts, while upstream dams in neighbouring countries further reduced water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Additionally, human activity exacerbates the crisis. Dams and water management projects in neighbouring Turkey and Syria have significantly reduced downstream river flow. 

A RIVER THROUGH CONFLICT

Like the Amazon in South America or the Colorado River in North America, the Euphrates serves as a critical artery for life in its region. Yet, it faces the global challenge of climate change and overuse. 

The Euphrates also flows through regions fraught with conflict. 

In Syria, years of civil war have ravaged communities and infrastructure, while Iraq’s long history of instability has hindered sustainable development and water management. 

These overlapping crises — political, environmental, and economic — have turned the Euphrates from a symbol of life into a flashpoint of scarcity and strife.

CLIMATE CHANGE, HUMAN ACTIVITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR DRYING RIVER NOT DIVINE RETRIBUTION

Contrary to religious interpretations suggesting the Euphrates River’s dwindling waters are divine punishment, environmental experts argue there’s no scientific basis for this assertion.

Gloria Okafor, a postdoctoral research scientist, at the Nigerian Maritime University in Delta state, Nigeria, told Check Climate Africa that “the Euphrates River’s alarming decline is a consequence of human actions, not a divine retribution.”

The university lecturer and climate experts added that It’s essential to recognise that “natural disasters, including environmental degradation, are the result of human activities disrupting the natural balance”, rather than an “expression of divine wrath”.

WHEN WILL THE EUPHRATES RIVER DRY UP?

If these threats remain unaddressed, the Euphrates River could face extinction within the next few decades, with catastrophic consequences for the millions of people and ecosystems that rely on it. 

The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources has issued a warning, stating that if current trends persist, the river could run dry by 2040, plunging the region into crisis.

IMPACTS OF THE DRYING EUPHRATES

The drying of the Euphrates River threatens water security, agriculture, and ecosystems. 

Upstream water diversion and droughts have reduced flow, causing water shortages, poor quality, and health risks like cholera. 

Declining irrigation cripples farming, leading to food shortages and economic losses.

In addition, water scarcity fuels conflicts, displacement, and instability, straining resources in affected areas.

VERDICT

While it is true that the Euphrates River faces the risk of drying up, claims that it has completely dried are false. Projections indicate it could dry up by 2040 if urgent action is not taken.

Furthermore, there is no evidence to support claims that the river’s drying is a divine occurrence. Instead, it is largely attributed to the adverse impacts of climate change and unsustainable water management practices.