dealing with water challenge

8/9/2019 Dealing With Water Challenge

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Dealing with water challenge

By Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

Wars related to water have been fought from the very earliesttimes. In fact, the earliest such war was fought way back in theyear 3000 BC and from that time to the present these wars havebeen fought in various parts of the world on account of variouswater related issues.Wars between India and Pakistan haveoccurred quite regularly with the first of them being fought duringthe period 1947-1948.Wars between India and Pakistan have mainly been fought overgetting control over Kashmir and have usually begun without the

aggressor formally declaring war. The only exception was whenIndia had to go into East Pakistan to support secessionistdemands in the then East Pakistan. This war was fought in 1970and led to the surrender of Pakistani forces and theindependence of a new country called Bangladesh.Currently, the two sides are not at war but it is believed that thenext India-Pakistan war will be fought over water shortages inPakistan. If, as estimates suggest, both nations during the period2018 and 2020 experience monsoon failures, then there could be

a war between India and Pakistan, which will have been parched.

The demand for water throughout the world continues to rise andwhen demand exceeds supply there is a risk that shortage ofwater will compel nations to go to war with each other. In fact,over fifty countries, spread across five continents, are at a risk ofbeing involved in wars that will arise on account of waterdisputes. This is why the need of the hour is for these countries tomove as quickly as possible to agree to terms on sharing ofreservoirs as well as rivers and even underground waterresources.Conflicts and wars related to water disputes may soon emerge ona number of different geographical scales. The internationalcommunity needs to address certain factors to help lowertensions among countries that may easily go to war on account ofwater conflicts. Water as we all know is essential to our survivaland it is also required for different human activities including for


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use in agriculture and industry as well as for generating powerand even for transportation of goods and people.About ten percent of water is used for domestic purposes, twentypercent is used in industries and the remaining seventy percent

is used for agriculture. Water also holds symbolic and emotionalvalue and is needed to maintain the ecosystem as well. Whenthere is pressure on supply of fresh water because of reasonssuch as a growing population and economic development, thiswater becomes scarce and this scarcity can then be the reasonfor a war or other profound consequence.From the very beginning of history, water has been a majorreason why wars among nations have been fought. These warsare fought on various levels including on the local level, national

level, international and even global levels. Each level is linkedwith the other and interventions that affect one level will impactthe other levels. In addition, factors such as socio economic,political and cultural also all play a role that can lead to conflictsand increase in tensions.Some of the reasons why wars related to water can be and havebeen fought also include improper allocation as well as use ofwater. This precious commodity is also vital to production of foodwhich alone accounts for seventy percent of water withdrawals.

To produce a kilogram of bread it is necessary to use up onethousand liters of water and to product one kilogram of beefrequires using fifteen thousand liters of water.Fortunately, at present, the world has sufficient supply of waterto take care of its population. However water scarcity is a threatto mankind and this scarcity can be physical as is witnessed inregions such as North Africa and the Middle East. It can also bean economic scarcity as is happening in Sub Saharan Africa.Water can also be used as a military tool in which waterresources are used by one country as a weapon during militaryactions. It can also be used as a political tool to achieve politicalgoals. Water can also be used by terrorists to conduct violentacts and to coerce nations to do what they (the terrorists) want.Even countries such as America and Canada that have abundantwater resources often come into conflict because certain regionsin the respective countries experience shortage of water.


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Canadians are known to use up double the amount of water ascompared to an average European. Such factors show that waterconsumption in all of North America tends to be very high. Almostseventy five percent of Canadians depend on surface watersupply and the remaining twenty five percent depend on ground

water. Since both of these sources are under threat, it hasincreased the possibility of water conflicts in these regions too.In 2007, Canada was struck by terrorism related to use of bottledwater. In the same year, terrorism was the reason for anotherconflict related to water. In 2008, China launched its owncrackdown of Tibetan dissidents. This is because Tibet holdswater resources that are vital for China which wants to controlthis resource to safeguard its own interests.

Given the impending danger of water scarcity in the South Asianregion, the observers of regional scene have hinted at thepossibility of next clash between Pakistan and India on the waterissue. Tensions have already been simmering between bothcountries over Pakistans allegation of its water theft by India.

The Pakistani authorities are of the view that Indian constructionof dams on rivers, whose waters Pakistan is authorized to use,violates the Indus Water Basin Treaty signed by both countries in1960 brokered by the World Bank. There have been mutualexchanges of high-powered delegations aimed at sharing

information and removing the misunderstandings but nosolution has emerged so far. The water issue has become socritical that political parties across the border have started usingit in order to project their political interests by playing to thegallery.

The international community needs to preempt the danger toglobal peace that may emanate from the water conflicts. It needsto pool its resources and offer solutions to cope up with thechallenge. It would be pertinent if the United Nations includes

water on its agenda and formulates a comprehensive strategy inthat regard. It needs to identity the sore regions that are likelyto get involved in any sort of clash over water and take necessarysteps to find a negotiated settlement.

(The writer is Australia-based PhD candidate)


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dealing with water challenge

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