Wars Over Water

Article By Malak E. & Ayushka T.

A tiny, dingy hole sits in the ground, filled with barely enough water to meet your needs for a single day. Leading from it, is a mile long line of people carrying canisters, and waiting for what seems like an eternity in the scorching heat. They all wait for their turn to collect their share of the water, in order to provide for their families. However, one decides to pour the mucky water into numerous canisters. This person is desperate for the additional water, but so are the others. The fact that there is now little water remaining incites rage among the line of people. Growing restless, the orderly line scatters and war over water begins. However, they will no longer be silenced. This is not a scene from a movie. It is the present many developing countries struggle with and future we could all face if we do not comprehend the consequences of our careless actions relating to water management.

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Water is a resource that we, in first world countries, sometimes take for granted but its impacts on the social, economical and political scale are tremendous. Water is the most basic necessity on the planet. It is used for drinking, personal hygiene and sanitary purposes which is why when water is removed from the equation, a person’s quality of life seriously deteriorates. In other words, for financially unstable individuals across the world inadequate access to clean drinking water can negatively impact their food security, livelihood choices, and educational opportunities. Water mismanagement also has the potential to develop or disrupt economies as it has various applications in industries. The agricultural sector alone uses approximately 70 percent of the world’s accessible freshwater and is responsible for employing 60 percent of the human population. Water fuels a country’s commerce, trade, innovation, and economic success. Simply put, the scarcity of water in a nation would lead to a rapid decline in economic power and will have negative societal effects. With all this being said, the current state of politics in our century lies in the ability to provide citizens with sufficient clean drinking water. Water is an invaluable and strategic resource, and any nation with access to a strong supply of freshwater has lasting global power. It can be said that without water, everything is nothing as there is an immense impact of water in every aspect of life on this planet.

Across the globe, the war for water has already begun, leaving behind drastic consequences for those caught between ongoing conflicts. For instance, there was the battle of the Mosul Dam which took place in 2014. The conflict rose between ISIS militants and Kurdish forces supported by Iraqi troops and the United States led Air Strikes as Islamic state leaders believed that power came with the ability to provide citizens with clean drinking water. ISIS fought relentlessly to take over the largest dam in Iraq and it took the force of American air strikes to propel them away. Further evidence of sparks that have occurred in the past due to water, is of the 2001 Kajaki Dam bombing by Americans in a NATO led mission against the Taliban forces. Located in Iraq, the Kajaki hydro-dam was one of the key centrepieces in regional stability, as it would provide basic services—power and water—in support of social and economic development. Later in 2008, when NATO realized the impact of the bombing, it took the largest operation in the entire Afghan war which was said to be up to par with WW2 according to the British Military. In order to transport a 200-ton turbine by road, around 5000 NATO troops fought for six days, and yet the turbine still remains unassembled after over a decade. Lastly, water management contributes to the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. Almost half a century ago, Israel diverted the flow of the Jordan River, towards the Negev desert, via a canal called the National Water Carrier. The implications of these actions have weighed heavily on the Palestinians, who bluntly accuse Israel of manipulating water supply as a means of suppressing them. The Palestinians claim that 85% of all the water in the West Bank goes to Israel, and that the Israelis consume seven times more water per capita than them. Water is a basic necessity and the lack of such a valued resource has certainly resulted in detrimental societal, economical and political impacts in many parts of the world. Without a doubt, there are a myriad of conflicts involving water which arise in developing nations—whether they occur between two nations or within a nation, and such conflicts come back to both desperation and a need for survival.

Although our planet is covered by blankets of water, less than a percent of that water can actually be consumed and utilized. What’s more, the demands for water are only growing and the future of the water supply on our planet is unknown. However, there are many factors which are contributing to the global water crisis. Our population has been booming with a surge since the ‘50s as it has more than doubled. According to UNICEF, by 2050, at least 1 in 4 people will be living in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. In addition to the booming population, a large depletion of our freshwater will be caused by climate change. Currently global warming is creating unstable fluctuations in our climate. As a result, many regions will have reduced rainfall and increased evaporation resulting in severe circumstances such as the continuous wildfires in California. Others will suffer from excessive rainfall and severe flooding, as for example, the Venice floodings, all of which will slowly amount to an overall loss of water. It is also important to note that the water cycle is occurring at a much quicker rate due to global warming, ultimately putting a stress on our ability to contain water for later usage. Another major influence of the growing demands for this precious resource is the unequal distribution of water. For example, Canada has a population of about 38 million and has access to 2,902-cubic-kilometers of the world’s freshwater. In contrast, India has a population of more than a billion but access to only 1,911 cubic kilometers of freshwater. This unequal water distribution weighs heavily in certain regions of the globe and is the reason why one person can access water with a twist of a knob and another has to walk 36 kilometers for a few litres of unsafe water. The inequality in the distribution of water, combined with the straining effects of climate change and the exploding population will be the most significant triggers of the next global conflict. Suffice it to say, the lack of water clearly leads to turmoil.

It is evident that the possibility of global conflict is rising among us. Our rapid water consumption and growing demands are only heating up hydro-politics. Understanding the importance of water, the destructive consequences of past conflicts, and the future implications of water depletion are key to preventing the ultimate demise of humanity. So what will the water wars of the future look like? Will we be able to end the water crisis or will our careless continue to have consequences? Whether conflicts arise in Canada or a developing nation like India, the potential of a world war relating to water management will remain and it is up to global citizens to demand corrective measures sooner than later.