Quest for clean water may lead to war, UN says
By Peter S. Green, Boomberg News in Freep.com, March 13, 2009
NEW YORK -- A growing shortage of clean water across the globe may lead to conflict and war, and endanger economic development, the United Nations warned Thursday.
Climate change, a growing population and an increased demand for water from agriculture and industry are combining with insufficient investment in wastewater treatment to threaten economic development, pitting communities and interests against one another as they vie for scarce resources, the United Nations said in a report.
The World Water Development Report was released before an international meeting of representatives of governments, nongovernmental groups, water-related industries and financiers. Participants at the meeting, which is scheduled to run from Monday to March 22 in Istanbul, Turkey, are to discuss how to cope with the growing shortage of clean water.
In Africa alone by 2020, 75 million to 250 million people may lack the water they need, the United Nations said.
"Local water crises may worsen, converging into a global water crisis and leading to political insecurity and conflict at various levels," the report said. "Action is required now. Lives and livelihoods depend on water for development. After decades of inaction, the problems are enormous. And they will worsen if left unattended."
More serious than energy crisis
Unlike the energy crisis, for which alternatives to conventional fuels exist, there is "a continuously increasing demand for finite water resources, for which there are no substitutes," the report said.
Governments must find ways to finance the development of water treatment and delivery, particularly in developing nations, according to the report. The UN report said 6% of development aid is aimed at water resources, a proportion that is expected to get smaller.
In some areas, water has been used or polluted "beyond the point of no return," the report said. "Coping with a future without reliable water resource systems is now a real prospect in parts of the world."
Investing in water will pay a peace dividend, the report said.
"The rapid restoration of viable water services is often a crucial ingredient of nation building" in fragile and war-torn areas, the report said.
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