Freshwater is the foundation of all life, yet over a billion people are without adequate supplies of
potable water due to drought, pollution, or wasteful consumption patterns. The immediate result is that
millions of people die each year, mostly children, from water borne diseases.
The scarcity of safe freshwater has the potential to cause great conflict in the following 4 categories:
1) Water Wars Fought With Weapons
Whoever has the most money and the biggest guns will probably win the battle, but not the war.
The Jordan River watershed flows through Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Israel does its best to excercise control over most of the Jordan River and its upstream tributaries.2) Wars Against Polluted Water
The Nile River is 4,238 miles long and flows through 10 water starved countries. Egypt, sitting at the end of the river, claims water rights based on its ancient usage.
Turkey is building 22 large dams with reservoirs at headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Downstream are Syria, Irag and Kuwait.
From California to China, from Australia to India, from Central Asia to Florida, humanity is rapidly approaching "The Age of Water"
Unsanitary waters cause millions of deaths each year. This number will probably increase with the population growth and the resulting potable water shortages.
3) Wars For Entrepreneurial Control Of Water "The Water Barons"
Transnational corporations are purchasing water companies and resources around the world. These companies are in business for profit and once they have a monopoly on a system, the price of water escalates.
4) Water Wars and the Law
These are wars fought in the courts and in political offices. Special claims to water involve countries, states, cities, ranchers, farmers, miners, industry and recreational interests such as golf and tourist destinations. Then, there is the all-important legal argument of providing water for ecosystem preservation.
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