He points to the success of micro-irrigation in semi-arid Gujarat, whose agriculture has grown at an average of 9.6% a year since the turn of the century, partly thanks to the creation of 500, 000 small ponds, dams and suchlike.

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The former will generate electricity from the runoff of the 25, 000 miles of irrigation canals mostly set up by the British in this agriculture belt.

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Though Egyptian agriculture was (and still is) based on irrigation, the flow of the Nile is controlled ultimately by rainfall patterns at its headwaters.

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"The ministry of agriculture is supposed to aid in having farmers learn and implement new irrigation methods but has not been very helpful, " he said.

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Miranda ranks high among Venezuelan states in agricultural and pastoral production, and government irrigation projects have resulted in the expansion of its large-scale farming and in the diversification of its agriculture.

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It is unfair to categorise Syrian plans for irrigation as a waste of water when Turkey plans much more, yet has a climate better suited to rain-fed agriculture than Syria's or Iraq's.

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