Water for Peace

Ranjan Kumar Padmapati

(The writer can be reached at rkpadmapati@yahoo.co.in)

Every year, the 22nd of March is earmarked as World Water Day to lay emphasis on water-related issues. Water is becoming more and more scarce, and pressure on water has increased manifold due to the increase in population. Further, this has been aggravated by climate change. Water has not been equally and equitably distributed around the world. When water is scarce, polluted, in unequal measure, or there is no access to water, tension arises among countries, communities, or states. In the worst case, it may even trigger a war.

The UNO recognises the right of every human being to have access to enough water for personal and domestic uses in the range of 50–100 litres per day per person. Water is included in the SDG-6 targets, ensuring equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. This year, the theme has been selected as” Water for Peace” by the UNO. The intention is to showcase effective mechanisms and tools to enhance water availability, foster cooperation, and prevent water-related disputes. The benefits of effective water management from a greater perspective could be a conduit for lasting peace and prosperity.

It is estimated that roughly 2.2 billion people in the world still live without any safely managed drinking water. Half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity. An important aspect is that more than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water beyond their political boundaries. One hundred and fifty countries share water basins, lakes, and aquifers with neighbors. Cooperative, effective water management skills are the need of the hour to overcome the crisis. In fact, in the nineties, it was forecast that future wars would be fought on water, though this has not come true in modern times. Water has also been used as a tool of war, though the UNO is opposed to it. The first known water war occurred nearly 4,500 years ago between the ancient city states of Umma and Lagash in Mesopotamia over access to irrigation water from the Tigris River. Later,  the war ended with a water treaty, known to be the first ever water treaty. At the present time, Russia has attacked a Ukrainian energy and water system, including the destruction of the Kahoka Dam and Reservoir. Israel destroyed Palestine’s water wells. Iran and Afghanistan fought a war over the waters of the Helmand River. The world is replete with both water as a weapon of war and a source of cooperation. 

Yet there is a silver lining to the black cloud hovering over the water.  Water is viewed as a shared intent; at present, successful management of scarce water resources can lead to cooperation among countries or states rather than a conflict. It is heartening to know that 263 of the world’s 310 international basins are more likely to cooperate over shared water than to go to war. Countries need to realise that 40% of the world’s population lives in trans-border water basins and 90% live in countries with basins that range beyond sovereign territories. When countries work together, more benefits could be derived, which will de-escalate tensions and lead to peaceful co-existence.

According to the FAO, more than 3600 treaties related to international water resources have been signed since 805 AD. In different statistics, almost 450 agreements were achieved on international waters from 1820 to 2007. Numerous examples could be cited where trans-boundary waters proved to be a source of cooperation rather than a conflict. Most of the aforesaid treaties were originally confined to navigation and boundary demarcation. Of late, the focus has changed from those to modern usages, development, protection, distribution, and conservation of water resources. The distribution of some 145 different agreements is categorised as below, under different headings: Hydropower 57 (29%), water utilization 53 (37%), flood control 13 (9%), industrial allocation 9 (6%), navigation 6 (4%), pollution 6 (4%), fishing 1 (1%). The numbers of some transboundary river basins are given below: Africa (64), North America (46, Asia (60, Europe (68), and South Africa (38). Not only river basins but also aquifers are not isolated but spread over countries. There are around 300 groundwater reservoirs spreading beyond national boundaries that represent two billion people globally. Water is so common that the Danube River travels through 18 countries. The golden principle of a water agreement is to take up adequate measures to prevent harm to other states by sharing equitably an international watercourse.

Let us look at some successful agreements. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam have been able to cooperate since 1957, after the Mekong Water Commission was set up. They had technical exchanges even during the Vietnam War. Another successful water treaty was the Indus Water Treaty (1960) between India and Pakistan that stood the test of time perfectly, even during two wars. Jordan and Israel have discussed sharing the waters of the Jordan River. A framework for the Nile River Basin, home to 160 million people, may be mentioned here, and this water is shared among 10 countries under the agreement reached in 1999. These are a few examples of successful cross-border cooperation on water, and the world is coming closer than before to foster peace. By working together to balance everyone’s human rights and needs, water can be a stabilising force and may work as a catalyst for sustainable developments. Researchers at Oregon State University found that the rate of cooperation has overwhelmed the incidence of acute conflicts in recent times. In the last 50 years or so, only 37 disputes involved violence, and 30 of those occurred between Israel and one of its neighbors. During this period, 157 treaties were signed. Experts opined, “If there were no access to water, there would be no world peace.” The emphasis is on its equitable distribution.

The Blue Peace Initiative promotes trans-boundary water cooperation among countries and is a government of Switzerland initiative offering solutions to overcome water disputes and promoting peace by sharing their expertise. The initiative contributes to increasing water, food, and energy security. It seeks to support governments of riparian states, common lakes, and aquifers to cooperate in a way that allows peaceful and equitable management of the use of limited water resources. Now it is engaged in nine regional and international developmental programs. Today, more than ever, the time has come to stop propagating threats of water wars and aggressively pursue policies of water diplomacy, peacemaking strategies, and recognising every human being’s right to water. Water management builds bridges among countries, connects experts to experts, and leads to peace.