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water wars

For those of us who literally have water on tap, it is hard to imagine that worldwide 1 billion people lack access to a safe and secure supply of this fundamental, life-sustaining element. Also, at a time of record fuel prices and concerns over peak oil, it may also be difficult to reconcile the World Bank’s statement that ‘the wars of this century will be fought over water.’

Unlike oil, the problem with water is not that it is running out, but that it is a fixed resource, which year-on-year is seeing an increased demand being placed on it. Though we live on the blue planet, only 2.5 per cent of water is fresh and two thirds of that is unavailable for human consumption as it is locked in glaciers, snow and permafrost. The water we have access to is unequally distributed and consumed faster than it is replenished – and with the world’s population expected to grow from 6 to 9 billion by 2050, this consumption will certainly intensify.

With more than 260 river basins crossing 145 international boundaries disputes inevitably arise. Since 1948, there have been around 40 significant military engagements over the issue of water, and over 400 diplomatic incidents. Though it is often portrayed as a conflict over land and differing religious faiths, water is a key issue in the Israeli/Palestinian tensions. Land seized by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 established access to the headwaters of the Jordan and control of the aquifer beneath the West Bank. But political wrangling and fighting over water is not unique to the Middle East. There isn’t a continent that hasn’t seen conflict over water. Water has been controlled and contaminated in order to turn it into a weapon of war or a vehicle for terrorism. Columbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Zambia, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Kazakhstan, Nepal and East Timor have all witnessed water wars.

That said, co-operation and international agreements are plenty, and most countries manage their shared resource without disagreement or disharmony. But given the projection that by 2050, 4 billion of us will live in countries that are chronically short of life-giving water, the scope for serious conflict will only increase.

Thanks to Alan Mann for this piece.