Topic Briefing – Water Conflict

Introduction

The term “water conflict” broadly describes all disputes over access to water resources. Water conflict can occur between public or private institutions, at a domestic or an international level. Although there are some instances of Water Conflict over saltwater, the vast majority are over freshwater sources – due to both its importance (e.g. for irrigation or simply for drinking) and uneven distribution between geographical areas.

- “Potable water” refers to water that is safe to drink. - Because of water’s place as such a fundamental natural resource, conflicts over its supply have

been recorded for millennia. The most complete account of the history of water conflict, held at the Pacific Institute in the USA, contains record of incidents that occurred as far back as 4,500 years ago.

- 17% of the global population (1.1bn people) do not have access to reliable sources of potable water.

- The Middle East has only 1% of the world’s freshwater, but constitutes 5% of the world’s population. Africa has around 9% of the world’s freshwater, with 17% of world’s population.

- However, UN data suggests that only around 4% of the continent’s available fresh water is being used.

Countries with Particular Interests

UNESCO reports that the worst interstate conflicts (i.e. conflicts between countries) occur in:

- The Middle East (over the Euphrates, Tigris and Jordan Rivers) - Central and Sub-Saharan Africa (over the Nile River) - Central Asia (over the Aral Sea, which is 10% of the size it was in 1960)

The map below lists all the incidents of Water Conflict recorded by the Pacific Institute 2010-2018:

Current Situation

- Between 2010-2018, the Pacific Institute has recorded 279 incidents of water conflict of all different types. Recent case studies include:

- Afrin River, Syria (2018): Turkish forces, supported by Syrian militia, capture the Afrin and Maydanki Dams. Over 167,000 people are displaced from the area, with reports of shelling of key water infrastructure.

- Dontesk, Ukraine (2018): Shelling and gunfire directed water station staff at the Dontesk Filter Station prevents 350,000 people in the area from a reliable water supply. This after Ukraine temporarily cut off the water supply to the Russian-controlled North Crimea Canal, which accounts for 80% of the region’s water supply.

- Warrap, South Sudan (2017): 38 killed and 30 injured in fighting between two local clans over water points, grazing land and border areas.

- Mexico City, Mexico (2014): A confrontation between Mexico’s City’s municipal government and the residents of a village on the western outskirts of Mexico City over a the rights of a water spring turn violent. The subsequent riot involves 1,500 police, of whom 100 are injured. 5 people are arrested.

Issues

Commercial disputes

- The WTO is able to arbitrate in a dispute between member states when the disputes are commercial (particularly) in nature. One example is the problem of “virtual water”: where water is not traded directly but is implicitly used in the production of goods and the provision of services. In this way, more developed countries may disrupt the water supplies of other countries with poor water security.

- What kinds of water conflict can be described as “commercial”? How useful is the WTO in resolving often violent disagreements, and in which circumstances should it defer to formal UN bodies?

Humanitarian issues

- In July 2010, a resolution by the UN General Assembly accepted that access to water and sanitation was a fundamental human right, specifically:

- Every human should have access to at least 50 litres of water per day. - Water costs should not exceed 3% of household income - The water source must be within 1,000 metres of the home and collection time should

not exceed 30 minutes. - What is the best way of allocating the resources that UNEP has in order to most effectively deal

with the effects of global water conflict? Is the current resolution of the UN with regards to the right to water helpful and/or realistic?

Peace and Security

- Transboundary water management (i.e. management of issues surrounding bodies of water that cross into more than one country) has been shown to be integral to peacekeeping. Initiatives such as Blue Peace, which involves co-operation between countries over water management in the Middle East and the Nile Basin, have been reasonably effective in maintaining peaceful relations in both areas (at least with regard to water).

- Can the UN find a consistent way of mediating these disputes? Approximately 295 international water agreements have been made since 1948, but around two thirds of the world’s transboundary rivers lack a single co-operative system which manages them.

Other jurisdictional issues

- Should water conflict even be under the mandate of UNEP, or should it be a matter for other UN agencies – perhaps even the Security Council in certain cases?

Suggested Reading

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/09/global-water-shortages-threat-terror-war — An accessible introduction to the increasing challenge posed by climate change with regard to water wars

http://www.unwater.org/ — UN Water Website

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/pccp — UN International Hydrological Programme

https://www.internationalwaterlaw.org/documents/intldocs/ — International Water Law Project – the most important international agreements and resolutions are listed here

https://www.worldwater.org/water-conflict/ — The Pacific Institute – key data on water conflict