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Water Rights and Water Fights: Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Before They Boil Over Barry S

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Water Rights and Water Fights: Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Before They Boil Over Barry S ODUMUNC 2018 Issue Brief First Committee: Disarmament Preventing Armed Conflict Over Water Old Dominion University Model United Nations Society Water Rights and Water Fights: Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Before They Boil Over Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH and Victor W. Sidel, MD American Journal of Public Health, May 2011 resources in India and 76% of water resources in 2 Scarcity of freshwater is an increasingly critical Pakistan originate from outside these countries. public health problem in many parts of the As another example, the Nile River Basin is world. World leaders, including United Nations shared by 11 countries that are mutually Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have urged dependent for their water resources. that this issue be given high priority. Inadequate access to safe freshwater contributes to The World Bank estimates that people generally waterborne disease, malnutrition, poverty, require 100 to 200 liters of water daily to meet economic and political instability, and conflict— basic needs (36.5–73.0 m3 of water per person potentially violent conflict—between countries annually). If one includes other uses of water, or groups within countries. such as agriculture, industry, and energy production, the total annual average requirement Approximately 97.5% of all water is either salt of water per person is 1000 cubic meters.3 In water or water that has become polluted. Of the 1990, 11 countries in arid or semiarid regions of remaining 2.5%, nearly 70% is frozen in glaciers Africa and the Middle East had less than 1000 and the polar ice caps. Less than 0.01% of all cubic meters of freshwater available per person.3 water worldwide is available for human use in Given anticipated major population increases, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and easily accessible each of these 11 countries will have substantially aquifers. less water per person in 2025. About three fifths of water flowing in all rivers One billion people do not have access to safe is shared by two or more countries—in 263 river water—a problem that will likely increase as the basins in 145 countries, where two fifths of the world population grows from 6.8 billion people world's population lives.1 As a result, many now to about 9.0 billion by 2050. This problem countries are highly dependent on water likely will become especially severe in countries resources that originate from outside their with high population growth rates that share a national territory. For example, 34% of water major source of freshwater with other countries.4 1 Preventing Armed Conflict Over Water Conflicts over water, both within countries and combat and poor relations between countries and between countries, are sharply increasing (Table among groups within countries. Water scarcity 1). However, few of these conflicts have led to alone, however, is infrequently the cause of violence. Major underlying reasons for these armed conflict over water. Immediately conflicts include (1) low rainfall, inadequate precipitating causes include sociopolitical water supply, and dependency on one major tensions; disputes over dams, reservoirs, and water source; (2) high population growth and other large-scale projects; and disputes rapid urbanization; (3) modernization and concerning environmental and resource issues.5 industrialization; and (4) a history of armed increasing efficient uses; (2) increasing Global Water Conflicts, 1900–2007 availability of clean water, such as by reducing industrial pollution and sewage contamination of Although few conflicts over water have become water, improving sewage and wastewater violent, most have arisen in areas in which treatment, and improving watershed violence is widespread, and most of these management; (3) establishing and maintaining conflicts could have become violent. Violent new groundwater wells; (4) designing and conflict over water, like other armed conflict, implementing improved methods of can have disastrous health consequences for desalinization; and (5) expanding use of individuals and populations, including not only greywater (wastewater from domestic activities death, injury, illness, and long-term physical and that can be recycled for some uses), as has been mental impairment, but also destruction of the done extensively in Singapore and Israel. health-supporting infrastructure of society, including systems that provide freshwater; Another set of approaches aims to resolve forced migration, which generally decreases conflicts over water before they boil over—that access to freshwater; and diversion of human is, before they become violent or have other and financial resources, including resources to serious consequences. Such preventive measures maintain and improve access to freshwater.6 include (1) laws and regulations at the local, state or provincial, national, or international PREVENTING CONFLICTS OVER level; (2) proactive cooperation among nations WATER or among states or provinces within nations; and (3) mediation and arbitration. Internationally, Several possible approaches can prevent there have been more than 3800 unilateral, conflicts over water. One set of approaches bilateral, or multilateral declarations or conventions concerning water, including 286 consists of measures to increase the availability 7 of water, including (1) reducing use of water, treaties. In addition, throughout the world there such as by decreasing wasteful uses and have been numerous laws and regulations 2 Preventing Armed Conflict Over Water concerning water use at the local, state or be found by examining the situation of the provincial, and national levels. Much needs to be freshwater basin of the Aral Sea, which is shared done to strengthen the enforcement of existing by six countries. The surface of the sea had laws and regulations and to develop new ones to shrunk between the 1960s and 2007 to 10% of address current issues. its original size by diversion of water, which drained two rivers feeding it and devastated the Proactive cooperation can help resolve conflicts environment. With the completion of the Kok- over water and help maintain public health, food Aral Dam, the Aral Sea has now begun to fill security, and social, environmental, and again.11 economic stability. It can also help prevent violent conflict over water and help build While men make most of the decisions about sustainable peace. Two examples of such water policy, the role of women is often cooperation in the Middle East have been the inappropriately neglected. Women are the Good Water Neighbors Project and the Nile gatherers of water in most developing countries Basin Initiative. The Good Water Neighbors and make most of the decisions about its use for Project, established in 2001, has brought drinking and for personal sanitation. Women are together Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian also involved in 70% of food production in communities to protect shared water resources developing countries, and, although food and has significantly improved the local water production is a major use of water, women have sector and helped to build peace at the local little voice in this aspect of water policy. The level.8 The Nile Basin Initiative, which began in targets of Millennium Development Goal 1999, is an international venture in which nine (MDG) 3 (promote gender equality and countries have developed the Nile in a empower women) are far from being achieved. cooperative manner, shared substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promoted regional Despite the great challenges to peace that are peace and security.9 posed by current and imminent conflicts over water, there is reason for hope that these dangers Much cooperation over water use also exists in can be transformed into opportunities. As the other parts of the world. For example, the United Nations has stated: Despite widespread Autonomous Water Authority created by Bolivia perceptions that water basins shared by and Peru, which share Lake Titicaca, has countries tend to engender hostility rather than enabled these countries to work together on the collaborative solutions, water is an often management of water resources.10 Another untapped resource of fruitful cooperation.7 excellent example of cooperative water use can References 1. Wolf AT, Natharius JA, Danielson JJ, Ward BS, Pender JK. International river basins of the world. Int J Water Resour Dev. 1999;15(4):387–427 2. Renner M. Troubled waters: Central and South Asia exemplify some of the planet's looming water shortages. World Watch. 2010; (May/June):14–20 3. Gleick PH. Water and Conflict. Int Secur. 1993;18(1):79–112 4. Klare MT. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company; 2001 5. Gleick PH. Water Conflict Chronology. The World's Water, 2008–2009: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Washington, DC: Island Press; 2009:151–196 6. Levy BS, Sidel VW, editors. , War and Public Health. 2nd ed New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2008 3 Preventing Armed Conflict Over Water 7. United Nations From Water Wars to Bridges of Cooperation: Exploring the Peace-building Potential of a Shared Resource. 10 Stories the World Should Hear More About. Available at: http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=2900. Accessed February 2, 2010 8. Kramer A. Regional Water Cooperation and Peacebuilding in the Middle East. Berlin, Germany: Adelphi Research; 2008 9. Nile Basin Initiative. Available at: http://www.nilebasin.org. Accessed February 2, 2010. 10. Delli Priscoli J, Wolf AT. Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts. Cambridge,
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