A new study reveals that the role of water as a trigger, weapon and victim of violence increases significantly in 2023.
New research has revealed that the Violence around water resources increased dramatically in 2023which is why the trend of pronounced growth in this type of incidents in the last decade continues worldwide.
Pacific Institute, a global think tank on aguaconfirmed that these violent events include attacks on water systems, riots and disputes over control and access to water, as well as the use of water as a weapon of war.
In 2023, a 150% more incidents than in 2022: about 347 events compared to 231. The situation is even starker if compared to the records from 2000, when only 22 incidents of this type were recorded.
Why is water violence increasing?
In 2010, a United Nations resolution explicitly recognized the essential human right to water and sanitation And since then, there is growing recognition that extreme weather conditions – including droughts and floods – are further straining water systems around the world.
Due to the 2023 findings, the Pacific Institute has been forced to make a major update to its Chronology of Water Conflictsknown as the world’s most comprehensive open source database on water-related violence.
The experts responsible for the document identified the incidents from sources such as security reports. press, eyewitness accounts and other conflict databases.
The information was made public at the same time as the largest international water conference, World Water Week in Stockholmwhich concluded on Thursday, August 29.
The theme of this event was ‘Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future’, and the focus was on combating the type of incidents reported by the Institute. But Water-related violence is not a new concept.
The Chronology of Water Conflicts was created by the Pacific Institute in the 1980s, and includes verified cases in which water and water systems have been triggers, objectives, victims or weapons of violence.
Although the database is only about 40 years old, it dates back more than 4,500 years and, currently, the Chronology includes more than 1,920 cases of violence associated with water resources and systems. These have increased in recent decades.
Climate change, wars and population growth unleash conflicts over water around the world
“The significant uptick in violence over water resources reflects continuing disputes over control and access to scarce water resources, the importance of water to modern society, increasing pressures on water due to population growth and extreme climate change, and continued attacks on water systems where war and violence are widespread, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine“explains Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute.
However, despite Gleick highlighting these regions, 2023 saw water conflicts around the world. Although water violence in the Middle East, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa continued to dominate the database, in 2023 there were increases in all conflict categories globally.
Although Europa is one of the least affected regions – and there was a slight decrease in the large number of attacks on water systems in the war between Russia and Ukraine recorded in 2023 compared to 2022 – the ongoing conflict continued to be the scene of several incidents of violence related to water.
At the end of January 2023, the Ukrainian city of Odessa was temporarily left without water following widespread Russian attacks on urban power and water systems.
Russia also attacked Dnipro hydroelectric power stationnearly Zaporizhia (Ukraine), in February 2023, and Ukrainian leaders also claim that the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River was destroyed by their enemy on June 6, 2023, something Russia continues to deny.
ADVERTISINGRegardless of culpability, the incident caused more than 50 deaths, as well as massive flooding, ecological devastation downstream and cutting off water supplies to cities, power plants and irrigation systems.
Where else in Europe will water-related conflicts occur in 2023?
Western Europe has also witnessed some incidents of water violence. At the end of March 2023, in France, up to 200 protesters and 50 police officers were injured in a protest in Sainte-Solinewest of the country.
The protesters asked the authorities to stop the construction of gigantic water “basins” to water the crops. They launched projectiles, including improvised explosives, at police, who responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.
The conflicts between farmers and herders in Africaas well as between urban and rural water users, religious groups and family clans in 2023, represented 62% of all events, compared to cross-border events -in which two or more nations were involved-, which only accounted for 38% in comparison.
ADVERTISINGOther conclusions from the Institute showed that attacks against water and water infrastructure represented half of incidents in 2023. Additionally, violence triggered by disputes over access to and control of water accounted for 39% and water was used as a weapon of war 11% of the time.
But what is behind the increase in these incidents?
“The large increase in these events indicates that very little is being done to ensure equitable access to safe water and highlights the devastation that war and violence cause to civilians and essential water infrastructure,” explains Morgan Shimabuku, senior researcher at the Pacific Institute.
“New data and updated analysis expose the growing risk that the climate change “adds to already fragile political situations by making access to drinking water less reliable in conflict zones around the world.”
How can we end water-based violence?
In addition to exposing specific incidents of violence, the Pacific Institute also focuses on identifying and understanding strategies that can help reduce the risks of occurrence.
ADVERTISING“It is urgent that we work to reduce the threat of water-related violence. The best way to do this is to move towards more resilient and effective water policies that guarantee safe drinking water and sanitation for all, reinforce and enforce international agreements and laws on shared water resources, and address the growing threats posed by extreme droughts and floods exacerbated by climate change,” says Gleick. “There are solutionsbut to date they have not been sufficiently implemented.
He and his team believe that the increase in water-related conflicts has various drivers and causes. That means that addressing the problem requires a wide variety of approaches and strategies to work on building water resilience and tackling underlying causes head-on.
In places where drought and climate change contribute to water tensions, the Institute suggests establishing policies to distribute and share it more equitably between interested parties. It also suggests that technology can be used to more efficiently identify what water is available for use.
According to the Institute, it is essential apply international laws of war that protect civil infrastructure, such as dams, pipelines and water treatment plants. When used effectively, these laws can provide essential protections that uphold the basic human right to water.
ADVERTISINGIf used together with cybersecurity best practiceswhich can reduce the threat of cyberattacks that attempt to weaponize water access for communities, these tools could end water violence in the near future.
