Is there a doubt that water would be the next oil? Experts agree, even as global warming puts more pressure on the demand for fresh water. If population was the old evil, global warming is serving to put more stress on already scarce supplies.
A U.N. panel of climate experts says that Central Asia and northern Africa could become drier if not totally dry. By 2020, up to 250 million people in Africa could come under the ambit of acute water scarcity.
Zafar Adeel, chair of UN-Water which coordinates work on water among 26 U.N. agencies told Reuters,
“The main manifestations of rising temperatures…are about water. It has an impact on all parts of our life as a society, on natural systems, habitats. Therein lies the potential for conflicts.”
Global warming is increasingly manifesting itself in heat waves, cyclones, desertification, and rise in diseases like Cholera. The calamities notwithstanding, water scarcity will also threaten food security around the world. The poorer nations are most likely to feel the pinch.
Part of the solution lies in global water management. Especially countries which share water resources should work together to negate any conflicts over this natural resource. Examples can be cited of India and Pakistan cooperating over Indus. Or the case of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia coming together in the Mekong River Commission. These cooperation’s were despite trans-border conflicts between the countries in the picture. There is also the negative case of Darfur in Sudan that has started a conflict.
“Water is a very good medium (for cooperation). It’s typically an apolitical issue that can be dealt with,” said Zafar Adeel.
The main challenge would be to manage competing needs and conflicting demands. One country may need water for industrialization while its neighbor would be looking at food security. Adeel said that water should have a more central role in debates on food security, peace, climate change and recovery from the financial crisis.
A better understanding can only come about if awareness is raised on all levels. Water management is a micro and a macro issue. Just as we are looking to conserve our natural habitats, we should also look to conserve our natural resources. As Adeel says, it takes 15,000 liters to produce a pair of blue jeans. Only from awareness of this waste can proactive conservation come about.
Water seems abundant, but that’s only on the surface.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
