And what we are learning about the role of trees
None of these has yet given rise to an actual conflict, but there are signs that one particular dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia very well might.
Conflicts such as this may only be de-escalated by a water-sharing agreement. More than 200 of these have been signed since the Second World War ended.
Sources: (BBC)
See also: Floating gardens: Bangladesh's answer to climate change
When Ethiopia announced it would build a dam on the Blue Nile, a river on which all three countries depend for water, Egypt and Sudan held a joint war exercise in May 2021.
Iceland suggests that increasing the price of water to reflect how much it costs to provide might help since much of the world’s population wrongly assumes that water is always plentiful.
Currently there are plenty of areas in the world where tensions are running high. These include the Aral Sea conflict, which comprises Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
There’s also the Jordan River conflict among the Levantine states and the Mekong River disputes involving China and its neighboring countries in southeast Asia.
The recycling of “grey” or waste water is low-cost and easy to implement, which makes it a great option for farmers affected by water scarcity.
However, there is no quick fix to water scarcity and the solution varies from one risk area to another. Certain countries would do well to first reduce loss and leaks of water.
Kurdistan did not experience such a sudden cut-off of support and as a result the Kurdish community didn’t experience the same displacement, discontent, or conflict.
The WPS partners, which include the Pacific Institute and the World Resources Institute, suggest that reducing corruption and cultural over-abstraction could also help.
Large numbers of Syrian farmers were pushed into the cities when the government scrapped their subsidies for ground water extraction mid-drought.
Iraq, for example, loses up to two-thirds of its treated water just because of damaged infrastructure. Fixing the infrastructure would improve water supplies.
Given that technology can be harnessed to predict future conflicts, you might think that it could also be used to prevent those same conflicts from arising.
An example of this in action is the five-year drought that affected both the Kurdistan region of Iraq and Syria, but only caused large-scale displacement of Syrians in 2011.
The quality of the water began to deteriorate, and by August hundreds of Iraqis were admitted to hospital with rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and even cholera.
The rising risk of water-related conflict has prompted the Dutch government-funded Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership to develop a predictive technology.
It seems that an area may be heavily affected by drought, but only the existence of a complex combination of factors will determine whether conflict will actually arise.
Their Global Early Warning tool uses AI to predict conflicts before they arise. Currently it warns of around 2,000 potential conflict areas with an accuracy rate of 86%.
According to a report by the French International Office for Water, Turkey’s project is significantly affecting the flow of water into Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
In June 2019 Turkey began to fill a dam at the origins of the Tigris, in a bid to secure its own water supply. It was the latest development in a longer-term plan to build a network of dams.
As well as enabling us to predict when conflict will arise, the Global Early Warning tool also shows that the relationship between water scarcity and conflict is not straightforward.
Indeed, when Turkey began to fill the dam in June 2019, it halved the flow of river water into Iraq, which of course was in the midst of a 50°C (122°F) heatwave.
Desalination of seawater and waste water treatment are also hopeful options. Saudi Arabia, for example, currently uses seawater desalination to meet 50% of its water needs.
An area particularly vulnerable to water-related conflict is the wider Tigris-Euphrates basin, which comprises Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and western Iran.
Today water scarcity affects 40% of the world population and the UN and the World Bank predict that drought could put 700 million people at the risk of displacement by 2030.
The problem of water scarcity seems to be on the rise. According to one BBC article, global water use grew at more than twice the rate of the population over the 20th century.
This area is losing groundwater at a frightening pace and the measures taken by some countries to secure their water supplies are controversial to say the least.
According to Charles Iceland, global director for water at the World Resources Institute, the latest research shows that water-related violence is also on the rise.
To quote Iceland, "Population growth and economic development are driving increasing water demand worldwide. Meanwhile, climate change is decreasing water supply and/or making rainfall increasingly erratic in many places."
As the natural resource most important to human survival, water can easily become a source of contention. Where water is scarce and humans are plenty, conflict is bound to arise.
Although it is not always considered a hot topic, water scarcity is a very real problem. The UN and the World Bank predict that drought could put 700 million people at the risk of displacement by 2030.
Water shortages result partly from a demand that outweighs the supply, and when it comes to a natural resource as vital as water, shortages can result in heated and even violent conflict.
Check out this gallery to learn all about the rising risk of water wars.
The rising risk of water wars
What can happen when demand outweighs supply
LIFESTYLE Conflict
Although it is not always considered a hot topic, water scarcity is a very real problem. The UN and the World Bank predict that drought could put 700 million people at the risk of displacement by 2030.
Water shortages result partly from a demand that outweighs the supply, and when it comes to a natural resource as vital as water, shortages can result in heated and even violent conflict.
Check out this gallery to learn all about the rising risk of water wars.