Middle East nations must talk to resolve water disputes

In an article titled The War Over Water, written for Foreign Policy in 1984, American journalist John K. Cooley warned that the region could witness conflicts due to shortage of water. With three billion more people on the earth by 2050, water consumption is likely to go up by leaps and bounds. Add to that global warming, deforestation, soil salinisation, changes in precipitation, pollution and emission of waste into fresh water, and we are looking at a looming water crisis. These factors are compounded by rising tensions among countries where water remains a scarce resource.

In 1998, a war almost erupted between Syria and Turkey after Turkey decided to build dams on the Euphrates River. Iraq risks losing 40 to 45 per cent of its water supply if the construction of the Ilisu Turkish Tiger Dam located 100km from Iraq’s border is pursued.

Israel, since the time of its occupation, had realised that its survival depended on schemes to harness water. By the end of 2009, Israel was stealing 600 million cubic metres of water annually — 100 million cubic metres from Syria and 500 million cubic meters from Lebanon.

Water theft is an issue of international concern driving many countries to the verge of war. For example, if

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan continue to build hydroelectric power stations on the headwaters of the shared Amu-Darya and SyrDarya Rivers, a war could ensue between them and Uzbekistan.

The most dangerous and disputed area over water is North Africa

— the tributaries of the

Nile and the Awash

Basin in Ethiopia — where the governments have launched several large-scale dam projects in the

Nile basin. This can significantly affect the amount of water received by Egypt and lead to a conflict between Cairo and Addis Ababa. The ball is in Ethiopia’s court to diffuse the sensitive crisis by lowering the height of its renaissance saddle dam.

When governments cannot guarantee their populations the most basic needs such as safe drinking water, their legitimacy gets questioned resulting in major upheavals such as food riots, migration and internal conflicts rendering the nation week.

Extremist groups like Daesh and the Taleban feed on such weaknesses and target such areas as breeding and recruitment spots. It is the duty of the international community to protect vulnerable countries such as Palestine, Lebanon, India and Sudan by creating communication channels and engaging leaders to find mechanisms for cooperation and to negotiate trade-offs.

The international community should work towards providing practical solutions for better water management techniques and provide technologies to increase the efficiency of water use. Governments and NGOs must do their part by intensifying water campaigns in schools and institutions to raise awareness so that water saving efforts begin at home.

When governments cannot guarantee their populations the most basic needs such as safe drinking water, their legitimacy gets questioned resulting in major upheavals such as food riots, migration and internal conflicts