Water wars: from ancient to modern times

The Umma-Lagash conflict of around 2500 BC is considered to be the first water war in what was then Mesopotamia and what is now southern Iraq. It was a dispute over the Gu’edena region. Urlama, king of the city-state of Lagash, diverted water from the region into the border canals, draining the border ditches and depriving of water Umma, the neighbouring city-state. Since then, there have been almost 1,300 officially registered conflicts, skirmishes, protests and acts of terrorism related to access to water, including approximately 1,050 since 2000.

Water scarcity affects approximately 40% of the world’s population, and according to UN and World Bank predictions, by 2030, drought may put up to 700 million people at risk of displacement. According to experts from the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, most water conflicts are agricultural. For example, in the semi-arid Sahel region in Africa, there are violent clashes between shepherds and farmers over water needed for animals and crops. Other regions particularly vulnerable to conflict over water include the areas of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and western Iran; the Sino-Indian border and the Galwan Valley; the areas of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; the Jordan River and the Levant countries, as well as the Mekong River in China and their neighbours in Southeast Asia.

Competition for water also occurs within the borders of the same country, as exemplified by the USA and the Colorado River. As the river falls to historic lows, tensions rise between the seven states that depend on its flow: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.