Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
| ||||||||||||
Picture Credit:
Eddy Posthuma de Boer/International Federation
Integrated Regional Information NetworksWater in Conflict
As demand for water hits the limits of finite supply, potential conflicts are brewing between nations that share transboundary freshwater reserves. More than 50 countries on five continents might soon be caught up in water disputes unless they move quickly to establish agreements on how to share reservoirs, rivers, and underground water acquifers. The articles and analysis below examine international water disputes, civil disturbances caused by water shortages, and potential regulatory solutions to diffuse water conflict.
Also See GPF's Pages on:
The Dark Side of Natural Resources | Timber in Conflict
Articles and Documents
2008 | 2007 | Archived Articles
Water and Violent Conflict (May 26, 2005)
Water-related tensions occur when the resource is scarce and access is limited. According to this OECD briefing, political, socio-economic and cultural factors fuel these tensions and can create conflicts on four different levels – local, national, international and global. International cooperation on rivers, basins and other sources of water can help diminish tensions, as they serve to build trust and confidence, as well as facilitating development.
Sandra Postel of the Global Water Policy Project stresses the need for nations to react preemptively, rather than retroactively, in order to avoid emerging crisis over water usage. (Foreign Policy)
As the demand for clean water becomes more and more of a concern, there are nearly three hundreds potential conflicts over water around the world. (Agence France-Presse)
Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security explores the interrelationship between water resources, water systems, and international security and conflict. The water conflict chronology tracks and categorizes events related to water and conflict since 1503.
Water is the lifesource of all humanity. In particularly arid climates like those of the Middle East and Northern Africa, water rights can become very contentious issues. This article demonstrates water's role in internal state conflicts. (Forum: Water and War)2008
Is Water the New Oil? (November 2, 2008)
The UN estimates that half the world’s population lives in countries suffering from water scarcity, after decades of over-exploitation by rich nations. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warns that a lack of water increases international conflicts and ultimately can cause a threat to peace. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories for example, Israel controls most of Palestine’s water resources, and unequally distributes the water between its own citizens and Palestinians. (Guardian)Needed, a Paradigm Shift (October 28, 2008)
Since the 1990s, many countries have handed over water management to private companies. Water became a commodity instead of a public good, leaving millions of poor people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. And as water resources dwindle, conflicts over water intensify. In Bolivia, South Africa, Ghana, the Philippines and Indonesia violent struggles have broken out against companies seeking to privatize water. (Hindu)Where Water Leaves a Bitter Taste (October 6, 2008)
This Inter Press Service article argues that Israeli settlements dispose their waste on Palestinian land, thereby polluting valuable water resources. Israel controls 57,1 percent of the water in the West-Bank and Jordan 34,7 percent leaving only 8,2 percent for Palestinian control. Because Israel refuses to share its water resources, Palestinians have limited access to drinking water, which contains high levels of salinity.Drinking at the Public Fountain: The New Corporate Threat to Our Water Supplies (September 29, 2008)
This article argues that the collapsing global economy causes a new wave of privatization of water. In their pursuit of profit multinational corporations want customers to use extra water and pay more for it. This caused people in communities to campaign to the water supply to return to public ownership(TomDispatch)Land Battle in the Jordan Valley (August 5, 2008)
Under the 2008 Road Map - the basis for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks - Israel must halt all settlement activities in Palestinian territory. However, Israeli settlements in Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank have actually increased in 2008. According to this BBC article, Israeli authorities also continue to order the demolition of Palestinian homes and restrict Palestinians’ access to water for drinking and irrigation in the Jordan Valley. The UN, together with the UK and the US, urges Israel to freeze all settlement activity in order to advance the peace process.Drought and Israeli Policy Threaten West Bank Water Security (July 18, 2008)
Since its inception, Israel has developed policies to secure its water sovereignty, resulting in armed clashes such as the 1967 war with Syria over water supply networks. This article argues that Israel’s economic and military superiority allow it to control the water resources in one of the world’s driest regions. For example, Palestinians receive 60 liters per day, while Israelis get 280 liters. This imbalance threatens the water security of neighboring countries and fuels political conflict. (Countercurrents.org)World Water Crisis (June 19, 2008)
Water scarcity in eastern Africa fuels deadly conflicts, forcing thousands of displaced farmers and pastoralists to seek refuge in neighboring countries. This Z Magazine article claims that water shortage creates desperation that fuel politically-based conflicts in Kenya and Ethiopia. The author also warns that water wars are soon to engulf the nine countries that share the Lake Victoria/Nile River system, which would drastically increase the number of refugees in the region.Water and Conflict in the Middle East (June 2008)
Water scarcity in the Middle East raises the risk of conflict between countries in the region. This report by the Middle East Institute argues that water scarcity is not just a natural scientific problem, but a political issue, which will lead to water wars. Powerful nations such as Turkey and Israel have become “hydro-hegemons.” These nations’ superior geographic, economic, and military positions give them greater access to water, inciting violent conflict with poorer nations such as Iraq and Syria.Sudan: Watermelons, Conflict and Climate Change (May 13, 2008)
Climate change triggers conflict over water resources in Sudan. As temperatures rise and rainfall drops in Sudan, pastoral herders and agricultural farmers clash over shared water reserves. However, while this report warns of the dangers of climate change, it also illustrates that the pastoral Kawahla tribe and farming Gawamha people of Sudan offer a useful model of conflict resolution. The two groups have learnt to adapt to the changes in climate – by increasing trade, making use of livestock byproducts on crops, and using community forums to mediate disputes over scarce water access. (Integrated Regional Information Networks)Climate Change Deepening World Water Crisis (March 19, 2008)
This article reports on the growing water crisis. One billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion are lacking safe sanitation. Experts say the crisis is not due to an outright lack of water, but rather a “chronic lack of funding and inadequate understanding of the need for sanitation and good hygiene at the local level.” Climate change will only worsen the problem. In addition, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warns that water shortages will drive future conflicts. (Inter Press Service)Climate Change: A Cause of Conflict? (January 2008)
Climate change exacerbates tensions over natural resources in poorer countries, warns Global Politics Magazine. The article notes that global warming reduces rainfall, which depletes fertile agricultural land and diminishes fresh water sources. These environmental changes will heighten competition for shared natural resources between different social groups, intensifying existing tensions. Therefore, the author urges that UN member states reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, and increase aid to the countries most affected by climate change.
Picture Credit: Panos
2007
Water More Valuable Than Gold (November 4, 2007)
The Peruvian Environmental Health Office has declared that mining companies have polluted 30.2 percent of Peru's coastal rivers. Aside from containing damaging quantities of aluminum, arsenic and lead, the river’s water volume has also decreased compared to past years. Tensions arise when river-based villagers and local NGO’s like the Red Muqui fight against the mining companies, who pollute the Andine region. The Ombudsman’s Office of Peru has reported at least 35 conflicts caused by water. He also proposes a reform of the environmental regulations, which will include the participation of local population and regional governments. (Latin America Press)The Water Problem (October 8, 2007)
A UN report predicts that water will be the main cause of conflicts in Africa over the next 25 years. Water disputes already exist in the Middle East and African Countries, especially concerning rivers and basins that flow through different nations. Humans can only consume 2.5 percent of the world’s water, and even less is technologically and economically accessible. Population growth, the misuse of water and limited access, creates desertification. Unless strong institutions establish and act on prevention and management of these conflicts, an immense crisis will emerge. (Daily Star)Water or War (August 1, 2007)
This New York Sun article points to Israel’s shortage of water as fundamental to Israel-Syria peace negotiations. Twenty-five percent of Israel’s water supply depends on access to the Golan Heights. Since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the Golan Heights, Israel has claimed the territory as its own. To move peace negotiations forward, Israel should consider desalinization of the Mediterranean Sea as an alternative water source, and return the Golan Heights to Syria under a water-sharing agreement similar to that between Israel and Jordan.How Much Is Ecology to Blame for Darfur Crisis? (July 22, 2007)
According to a UN Environmental Program report, degradation and desertification influence conflict in Darfur. The Sudanese government’s manipulation and appropriation of such scarce resources as land, water and especially oil exacerbate conflict-inciting tensions. For example, in eastern Sudan, Khartoum diverted limited water from grazing land to commercial irrigation, leading to fighting in the region. (New York Times)China Aims for Bigger Share of South Asia’s Water Lifeline (June 26, 2007)
Tibet’s rivers water the world’s most populous continent. In Asia, water shortages and China’s assertive water policy threaten regional stability. China’s approach to the impending shortage involves water appropriation projects. It aggressively implemented the US$25 million Three Gorges Dam project, which displaced at least 1.2 million, and it plans to redirect Tibet’s Brahmaputra waters to China’s Yellow River through a project called the Great North-South Water Transfer. (Japan Times)A Climate Culprit in Darfur (June 16, 2007)
In this Washington Post column, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon discusses the role of climate change behind the conflict in Darfur. Ban asserts that underneath the sociopolitical unrest, the real reason for the conflict is an ecological crisis. Since the 1980s, a sharp temperature rise in the Indian Ocean has caused a 40 per cent drop in Sub-Saharan Africa precipitation levels. The resulting water shortage triggered the violence between black farmers and Arab nomads in Darfur. Ban proposes economic development as the solution and urges UN member states to work in conjunction with Khartoum, humanitarian agencies and NGOs to cater to Darfur’s urgent needs.Water Conflicts Increasing, Uganda Conference Warns (June 5, 2007)
This article explains how conflict over water and land distribution aligned black African farmers and Arab pastoralists against each other in Darfur. Khartoum’s interference in favor of the pastoralists, beginning in 2003, politicized the issue, moving the conflict beyond the humanitarian issue of water shortage. (Worldwide Faith News)Troubled Waters (June 4, 2007)
“Decades of mismanagement and climate change” are causing rivers in Africa and Asia to slowly dry up, threatening drought and increased conflict over natural resources in already vulnerable areas. Although nonprofit organizations and ecoconscious corporations have developed a multitude of simple and inexpensive ways to purify water, this Newsweek article reports that wealthy Western countries will likely “only really start to worry about the water when it isn’t there.”Is Water the Next Oil? (May 31, 2007)
Water shortages could lead to severe conflict says Rohini Nilekani in Yale Global. As climate change reduces freshwater supplies in glaciers and polar ice caps, depleted water stocks and unequal access to drinking water will cause intense competition for this most essential natural resource. Instead of focusing on maintaining modern lifestyles, Nilekani suggests that richer nations increase development aid to those countries most affected by water shortages, raise individual consciousness of water consumption and reduce the need to use fresh water to carry human waste.Obstacles to Peace: Water (May 23, 2007)
The BBC analyzes the role of water in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel says that the proportion of water it uses has not changed substantially since the 1950s but Palestine claims that Israel allocates three to five times more water to its own citizens than to Palestinians. Israeli settlement activity has continued in some of the most sensitive areas of water dispute, with Israel pulling troops and settlers from Gaza and building a barrier around West Bank areas allegedly as a security measure. However the barrier encroaches onto occupied territory – especially some areas of high water yield.Wars, No, Conflicts, Yes (March 22, 2007)
Mark Zeitoun, researcher with the London Water Research Group, tells Inter Press Service that whilst water resources are not usually a sole cause for violent conflict, it can often be an element and sometimes sparks conflicts falling short of war. Whilst in theory there is enough water for everyone, access to water can be a highly political issue because it is such an instrumental factor in development and climate change will only exacerbate the problem. As well as occurring between countries, water conflicts can also be on a sub-national level, with different tribes or even members of the same tribe fighting over limited resources.Thirstier World Likely to See More Violence (March 16, 2007)
Inter Press Service discusses the strong links between drought and violent civil conflicts in the developing world. Marc Levy of the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network argues that whilst drought does not cause conflicts, it can contribute to them when there are already underlying political tensions between peoples. Discontentment grows in the developing world that while the rich are the main cause of global warming, the poor will suffer most from it.
Archived Articles
More Information on Global Public Goods
More Information on The Dark Side of Natural Resources
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
