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WATER WARS

In the past, wars were fought for gaining control of land and oil resources. Experts now say that in the not too distant future, wars would be fought over water. This is not a fanciful prediction because, in the Middle East, there are already loud rumblings. In Africa too there is a strong prospect of war clouds gathering, over who is to get how much of the waters of the famous Nile river.

The Nile is the world’s longest river, and passes through many countries – see the map on the right. Besides these countries, many others which contribute major tributaries are also involved in the debate concerning the sharing of the Nile’s waters. For thousands of years, there was no problem. The population in the different regions was small and there was no technology to harness the waters of the river on a massive scale.

All that has changed now. Since the fifties, Egypt, faced with a growing population and large unemployment, has initiated massive programmes to tap the waters of the Nile, especially for irrigation. But meanwhile, the upper riparian states all the way from Tanzania to Sudan are facing population growth, low employment, and acute water shortage.

Understandably they are claiming their own share of water which till now they did not use. However, Egypt is in no mood to accept those arguments or recognise the legitimacy of the demands of the upper riparian states. To make matters worse, there is no proper international law or regulation that can be appealed to. Right now, it seems to be a case of might is right; but how long can this go on?

 

That is why some experts fear horrible water wars; and their fears might even come true, unless everyone accepts the principle of some for all rather than more for some, which is the principle of equitable sharing and a moral one too.

Return to the Feature: God, Man And Water