people get more aggressive in protecting their water rights. In fact, the fight over who

gets to use the world’s water has been a long, ongoing battle. So, who’s fighting

over water?

Well, water is arguably the world’s most important resource. Nearly all human activity,

including commerce, transportation, sanitation, migration patterns, and survival are intrinsically

linked to water. Yet, nearly 800 million people, or 11% of the global population lacks access

to clean drinking water.

Part of this comes from the distinction between human rights, economic viability, conflicting

laws, and environmental concerns. This means that there is rarely a solution which satisfies

all involved.

According to one study, between 1950 and 2000, there were more than 1,800 international conflicts

over water. This doesn’t even include domestic or internal disputes.

Generally, water disputes that deal with international commerce, like fishing or agriculture, are

addressed by the World Trade Organization. They even have internal groups to deal with

disputes.

When it comes to domestic water management and resources, the UN steps in. However, they

focus more on activism and education to prevent conflicts, rather than solving existing ones.

For example, in the Middle East, the UN runs a program to train water professionals to

avoid future disagreements over how water is internationally allocated.

In particular, the Middle East is one of the most severe water crisis zones. It’s been

said that future wars in the Middle East are more likely to be fought over water than over

oil. With only 1% of the world’s freshwater available to about 5% of the global population,

disputes over river basins have the potential to spiral out of control in an already volatile

area. Primarily in question are the Euphrates, Tigris, and Jordan rivers. For example, the

Jordan river runs along Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. However, Israel has

restricted Palestine’s access to the river as part of their ongoing conflict.

Those who control water can use it to their political advantage. Another popular example

is that of Bolivia’s privatization of water. In 2000, water rights in Cochabamba were given

over to a private company, which proceeded to raise prices significantly. This caused

protests and eventually riots during which a civilian was killed. Eventually the privatization

was reversed.

Water availability might be one of the most conflict prone issues the world has to deal

with. Especially as populations continue grow while the amount of water continues to drop.

Water shortages affect businesses, economies, and populations, and no country is immune

to the effects of running out of water. Unfortunately, this complicated issue has no obvious solution

outside of cooperation and compromise.

One reason that the borders and rights are so complex is because of the value of the

large bodies of water beneath them. To learn about the science of aquifers and how they

were formed, check out this video from DNews. There’s a link in the description below!

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