Syria Reservoir Transparency

Syria possesses significant reservoir infrastructure — Tabqa Dam (Assad Reservoir, ~14,000 Mm³ capacity on the Euphrates), Tishreen Dam (1,885 Mm³), and Baath Dam — but national data publication has collapsed since 2011. The only publicly accessible water level data comes from TU Munich's satellite altimetry platform DAHITI, not from any Syrian government source. As of 2026, the new Syrian government regained control of Tabqa Dam in January 2026 and began technical assessments, but no public data portal has been established.

DAHITI provides downloadable satellite-derived water level time series for the Assad Reservoir in CSV format via a web interface. This is not a Syrian government source. No Syrian national data API or open data portal for reservoirs exists. The gov.sy domain is non-functional for water data purposes.

Capacity-weighted (v1.3.0): 0/14,000 Mm³ = 0% (Tabqa 11,700 + Tishreen 1,885 + Baath + smaller Euphrates and Orontes dams; war has eliminated all public reservoir publishing). Prior justification (preserved for context): Denominator (RTI methodology): reservoirs with capacity >10 hm³. Syria has approximately 10–15 reservoirs above this threshold: Tabqa/Assad (~14,000 Mm³, Euphrates), Tishreen (~1,885 Mm³, Euphrates), Baath (~90 Mm³, Euphrates), Rastan (~228 Mm³, Orontes), Mhardeh (~50 Mm³, Orontes), Qattinah (~200 Mm³, Orontes), Tell-al-Aqra (~13 Mm³), 17 April (~165 Mm³, Yarmouk), Al-Wahda (shared with JO, on hold), plus several smaller Khabur, Coastal, and Yarmouk impoundments. Zero of these have Syrian government public data since 2011 civil war collapse. The only proxy is DAHITI satellite altimetry covering 1 reservoir (Assad/Tabqa), which is a third-party academic source. Coverage rate is 0/~12 from any Syrian source; 1/~12 (~8%) via international satellite proxy. Score reflects total national absence with minimal credit for satellite proxy on the dominant facility.

DAHITI provides satellite altimetry records for the Assad Reservoir extending back to approximately 2002, giving a ~20-year record through 2026. However, this is a single reservoir using indirect satellite measurement. Pre-war Syrian government gauge records for multiple reservoirs are not publicly accessible.

DAHITI updates its satellite altimetry data with a delay of several weeks to months depending on satellite revisit cycles. No national real-time or near-real-time data feed exists. Syrian government assessments of Tabqa Dam in early 2026 were reported by media but not released as structured data.

DAHITI publishes its satellite altimetry methodology via peer-reviewed literature (TU Munich DGFI). The measurement approach (multi-mission radar altimetry, virtual station method) is well-documented for the scientific community. No Syrian national methodology documentation exists.

DAHITI is available in English, making data internationally accessible. However, there is no Arabic-language national portal. Syria Direct and other Arabic-language media report water crises qualitatively but do not publish structured data. The pre-war MAAR Arabic-language portal is offline.