The escalating global water crisis, marked by a record surge in conflicts, is the central focus of the World Water Week conference, commencing this Sunday in Stockholm, Sweden. Organized annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the World Water Week conference, this event annually highlights growing challenges to global water security. According to a recent report by the Pacific Institute, a US-based nonprofit water think tank, 420 water-related conflicts were recorded in 2024 – a record high and a 78 percent increase from 235 conflicts in 2022. This alarming rise is largely attributable to attacks on critical water infrastructure and disputes over access, particularly in regions profoundly affected by prolonged wars. The Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology, a detailed tracking system, classifies each incident – from casualty to weaponization – by water’s role in the conflict.
This increase is inextricably linked to a growing number of incidents, notably in Gaza, where 1.9 million Palestinians remain displaced while approximately 90 percent of water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. Furthermore, UNICEF reports that up to 70 percent of households lack access to the minimum six liters of potable water per person a day, while 90 percent faced moderate-to-high water insecurity. The medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), has also reported a significant rise in water prices, exacerbated by disruptions to water distribution, leading to worsened diarrheal and skin diseases and increasing risks for vulnerable populations.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers’ attacks and demolitions have further damaged Palestinian water infrastructure, with repeated raids on wells in the Ein Samiya area, cutting supply to approximately 100,000 people. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, has resulted in approximately 12 million displaced people and a humanitarian crisis affecting more than 30 million. A Geneva Academy report documented attacks on water infrastructure, including reservoirs, treatment plants, and distribution networks, particularly in Darfur, Sudan. The collapse of these systems has fueled cholera outbreaks and worsened food insecurity, with famine risks rising across Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
US and Israeli air strikes on Iran since February 28 have further strained a water system already weakened by years of drought, below-average rainfall, depleted groundwater, and agricultural demand. Damage to desalination plants and reservoirs in Qeshm Island and Hormozgan province has disrupted water supplies to tens of thousands of people. The attacks came as Iran’s reserves were critically low, with some reservoirs up to 92 percent depleted. Water levels in reservoirs in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and home to around four million people, dropped below three percent. The war on Iran has exposed the vulnerability of critical water infrastructure in a region with among the most water-scarce areas globally.
Across the Gulf, water security is heavily reliant on large desalination plants to convert seawater, supplying approximately 90 percent of drinking water in Kuwait, 86 percent in Oman, and 70 percent in Saudi Arabia. In Bahrain, it’s above 90 percent, and in Qatar, 99 percent. Desalination plants have been damaged in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Iran during the war, though the reported impact on water supplies was largely limited. Ukraine’s water crisis has worsened as the war with Russia damages vital water and energy infrastructure. UNICEF reports 4.3 million people received safe-water assistance last year, while 12.7 million need humanitarian support. Attacks have reduced electricity generation by 70 percent, disrupting water and heating. In Kherson, strikes this month cut supplies to entire neighbourhoods.
The Kakhovka Dam disaster in June 2023, devastating over 100,000 people and leaving 10 million without reliable access to safe water, underscores the severity of this threat. The conflict highlights the interconnected vulnerability of critical water infrastructure across multiple regions, particularly in the most water-stressed areas of the world. This escalating crisis demands urgent and coordinated action to prevent further conflict and ensure equitable access to this vital resource.
Source: Al Jazeera
