Mark Twain once said, "Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over".
Ever ponder water and wonder why its so hard for people to get it around the world when it falls from the sky, seeps from the ground, and flows across the land, and when 70% of the world is water?
The simple answer is fresh water is rare and salt water is the majority. It doesn't rain everywhere, some people can not access ground water, damns stop historical rivers and people fight wars over water. Wars over water? Can you imagine having to result in armed conflict to get drinking water or crops irrigated?
For many people in the world this is the case. Water is a big issue world wide. Even people on river and lake systems have conflicts protecting the resources. Here are 4 examples in just 2010 where people died in conflicts over water.
ONE: Fighting in Pakistan over irrigation water
Date: 2010
Parties: Pakistani tribes
Basis: Development dispute; Military tool
Violent: Yes
More than 100 are dead and scores injured following two weeks of tribal fighting in Parachinar in the Kurram region of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The conflict over irrigation water began as the Shalozan Tangi tribe cut off supplies to the Shalozan tribe. Some report that the terrorist group al-Qaida may be involved; others claim sectarian violence is to blame as one group is Sunni Muslim and the other Shiite.
TWO: Bomb in water truck kills 3 in Afghanistan
Date: 2010
Parties: Afghanistan
Basis: Terrorism
Violent: Yes
A remote-controlled bomb hidden in a water truck killed three people, including two children, in eastern Afghan province of Khost, which borders Pakistan.
THREE:Pakistan irrigation dispute kills 116
Date: 2010
Parties: Mangal and Tori tribes, Pakistan
Basis: Development dispute
Violent: Yes
A water dispute in Pakistan
FOUR:Violent water protest in India
Date: 2010
Parties: India
Basis: Development dispute
Violent: Yes
A protest about water shortages leads to violence. Erratic water supply, and eventually a complete cutoff of water in the Kondli area of Mayur Vihar in east Delhi causes a violent protest and several injuries.
Its a historical strategy in warfaer.
Hezekiah stops springs in advance of Assyrian Invasion
Date: 701 BC
Parties: Israel (Judah), Assyria
Basis: Military tool; Military maneuvers
Violent: Yes
When King Hezekiah of Judah sees that Sennacherib of Assyria is coming in war, he has the water from the springs and brook outside Jerusalem stopped to keep the water from the Assyrians.
Furthermore the water conflicts are not that far from home. Even the united states has had water conflicts over riporian water laws and who has rights to use river water. And many times in United States history did enemies of the state target water supplies to disrupt water flow. Luckily most blown damns or blocked rivers are a thing of US past but terrorist foreign and domestic still threaten water supplies.
For example:
Colorado eco-terrorists threaten water supply
Date: 2002
Parties: United States
Basis: Terrorism
Violent: No: Threat
The Earth Liberation Front threatens the water supply for the town of Winter Park. Previously, this group claimed responsibility for the destruction of a ski lodge in Vail, Colorado that threatened lynx habitat.
Thanks to World Water.org I found a nifty map showing the worlds water conflicts where you can interact with it to find out more data.
http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/
Their webiste is a handy tool to geographers dealing with water conflicts. By all means it is not a begin all end all resource but its a good start.
If I can impose on anyone who finds this article: Look into local water issues, donate to water conservation efforts or digging wells for the impoverished. Their are many nonprofits that handle this issue. Help where you can even if its telling a friend.
Anyway I will have more on this topic for the next few weeks. For now have a good time and enjoy a cool glass of water while you have it.
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