War for Water

Water is the basic necessity of life. We have identified this every since we started settling into one place and forming cities many centuries back. Water still happens to be one of the most important sources of life, therefore there are several conflicts going on everywhere in the world over water.

Clean and fresh water is getting scarce on the planet now, we need more of it as the day pass by to support our growing population, new cities and for sustenance. This applies all the more in places where water was always scarce and there has been a requirement of finding more and more water like the Middle East. The countries involved in the war for water are the ones which have a high birth rate, growing cities and scarce water to maintain these cities.

There has already been warning from the likes of former UN secretary Boutros Boutros Ghali, he has been quoted as saying ‘the next war in the Middle East will be over water’. This is not totally untrue. Jordanian King Hussien too has been seen mentioning that he would go to war with neighboring Israel only for water and for nothing else.

The region has been blessed with the world’s largest river Nile which flows through nine countries. However, the populations in these countries have doubled in last few years and the supply of water provided by this river is not as much as what was earlier.

Earlier there were only three countries which reported of water shortage, but now there are more than 6 countries which report water shortage. There are almost negligible sources of water in this region other than the Nile.

They can use the underground water resources but these too might get exhausted soon enough. There have been wars over trifle reasons in this region, but there can be nothing serious as water. The reason for war is that there are no significant rules and regulations regarding sharing of water between countries.

There have already been complaints from the countries like Israel, Palestine, etc which report that their water sources are either being diverted or there is stealing of water from their underground resources. Water has always been the issue everywhere the negotiations have ceased to proceed. Water over water has already been in progress between some Middle East countries informally where soldiers of one country prevent the people of the other country from withdrawing water from their water resources.

There are hopes that this war over water will not take a serious turn, thus resulting into another war in the Middle East where countries fight with each other. Most of the countries involved in the war over water have highest birth rates, these countries need water for daily usage and also for agricultural use, to feed the growing population, and therefore there is all the more need for water in these countries.

There are hopes; enough will be done to avoid another war in this region since it has been at war at some time or the other. Solving water crisis peacefully is the present requirement.

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