irrigation

To this point, it has managed to survive by inhabiting artificial waterways like irrigation, canals and rice fields, where it became a familiar sight for local farmers, according to the U.S.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says on its website that farmers can reduce water use by up to 40% by getting moisture directly to each plant through drip irrigation.

Water went toward irrigation and the lake for less than three weeks late this summer, and only a small portion of it, she added.

The loss of that water resource has knock-on effects for all those who rely on glaciers - for irrigation, drinking, hydropower and even shipping traffic.

But after more than a decade of war, Syria's agricultural sector was already battered by economic collapse, destroyed irrigation systems, and mined fields.