The story of water's rise to dominance and conflict

The story of the rise of water towards domination and conflict

Freshwater is the hidden pulse of life that flows through the arteries of civilization, as it shapes the balances of geography, political variables, and history. However, it has become a real crisis that threatens the lives of people in many countries of the world by causing an imbalance in food security and the absence of justice in the distribution of resources. This is a matter of concern.

ThereforeProtectors of the EarthWith this article, we delve into the depths of the complex water scarcity crisis, exploring its potential repercussions on global security and stability, its impact on food shortage rates, as well as its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general, while presenting international models in which water has turned into an extremely dangerous stress factor.

What is meant by freshwater scarcity?

Freshwater scarcity is the gap between the increasing demand for water and its natural sources, and although this freshwater constitutes about2.5%of the total water present on the Earth’s surface, about 70% of this total freshwater percentage is trapped - according tothe United States Geological Survey (USGS) - in glaciers and peaks Snow, as well as the atmosphere where rain, while the remaining 30% is present in groundwater, which is not easy to extract or available for direct use in many areas.

Therefore, we find ourselves facing what is called water scarcity, and this is due to the lack of available water resources, as is the case in arid and semi-arid regions, but water scarcity is not due to natural factors only, but is exacerbated by mismanagement, overexploitation, and unsustainable use, especially in the agricultural and industrial sectors. Accordingly, water scarcity varies into three types: She is:

• Material scarcity: It is an actual shortage of water resources as a result of natural factors such as drought.
• Economic scarcity: resulting from weak infrastructure, poor distribution and the state’s inability to provide water to citizens.
• Institutional scarcity: related to the absence of good governance or effective legislative frameworks for managing water resources.

A worsening crisis with overlapping effects

With increasing population growth, rising temperatures, and deteriorating natural water sources, many countries find themselves in this complex situation, and in a race against time to find alternative solutions. This situation not only affects human life, but is also a very dangerous situation for ecosystems and various organisms. Water quality and quantities are declining in many regions of the world, causing the erosion of agricultural lands and the extinction of entire agricultural communities, as happened in the Indian state of Maharashtra, where the water crisis worsened with the decline in the level of the Godavari River (a river extending from western to southern India with a length of 1,465 km) and the pollution of irrigation sources. Which led to the desertification of the lands surrounding this river. Consequently, the number of farmers in this region decreased, especially after they were unable to meet basic agricultural needs.

On the other hand, we find the West Asia region - at the heart of which are many Arab countries - a living example of the seriousness of the freshwater scarcity crisis and its complex repercussions. Although it is home to about 5.9% of the world’s population - according to data issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) - itonly has a small percentage of fresh water globally; Making it one of the regions most suffering from the water scarcity crisis.

This chronic deficit in providing fresh water is exacerbated by population growth - the major problem in the water scarcity crisis - mismanagement of resources, and excessive reliance on traditional agriculture, which consumes - according tothe Food and Agriculture Organization report - about 80% of the water in the continent of Asia and Africa, in addition to serious depletion of groundwater; Which caused a decrease in the per capita share of water in some Arab countries, reaching less than200 cubic meters annually. Because of this water deterioration, there have become severe tensions and water disputes between countries, as in the dispute over the Tigris and Euphrates rivers between Turkey, Syria and Iraq, or the dispute over the Jordan River between Israel and neighboring countries.

How does water scarcity affect development?

In the above, we mentioned a number of reasons for fresh water scarcity, but there is another reason that is more closely related to this global crisis, which is climate change. In recent years, the world has witnessed unprecedented warming and record high temperatures, with what we are facing with a decrease in the rate of rainfall, in addition to the worsening phenomenon of drought.

Despite all these challenges, the world and its people have a good opportunity if efforts are united, by adopting seawater desalination techniques - for example - and modernizing irrigation systems to transform them towards sustainability, taking into account the need to adopt rational policies based on integrated management of water resources, rationalization of consumption, as well as introducing the water dimension into all development policies from education to the economy.

This undoubtedly achieves a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), starting with Goal No. (2) related to eliminating hunger, Goal No. (3) related to good health and well-being, as well as Goal No. (6) concerned with clean water and sanitation. Because pollution and water shortages threaten food security, lead to the spread of water-borne diseases, and exacerbate health fragility, especially in developing countries.

In conclusion, the issue of fresh water scarcity - as you seeProtectors of the Earth- is a crucial issue, and in it the dimensions and goals of sustainable development are evident from near or far, those seventeen goals whose efforts focus on supporting humans, their lives, and the lives of all creatures by providing water and all resources; Reconstruction of the land.