Wolf, Aaron T., Annika Kramer, Alexander Carius, and Geoffrey D. Dabelko.2005. Chapter 5: Managing Water Conflict and Cooperation . In State of the World 2005: Redefining Global Security. The WorldWatch Institute. Washington, D.C. [PDF file]

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Chapter 5 Abstract:

Stanley Crawford, a former mayordomo (ditch manager) of an acequia (irrigation ditch) in New Mexico, writes of two neighbors who “have never been on good terms…the lower neighbor commonly accusing the upper of never letting any water pass downstream to his place and then of dumping trash into it whenever he rarely does.” Such rivalries over water have been the source of disputes since the Neolithic revolution, when humans settled down to cultivate food between 8000 and 6000 BC. Our language reflects these ancient roots: “rivalry” comes from the Latin rivalis, or “one using the same river as another.” Riparians —countries or provinces bordering the same river—are often rivals for the water they share. Today the downstream neighbor’s complaint about the upstream riparian is echoed by Syria about Turkey, Pakistan about India, and Egypt about Ethiopia. Regardless of the geographic scale or the riparians’ relative level of economic development, the conflicts they face are remarkably
similar. Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project, describes the problem in Pillars of Sand: Water, unlike other scarce, consumable resources, is used to fuel all facets of society, from biology and economy to aesthetics and spiritual practice. Water is an integral part of ecosystems, interwoven with the soil, air, flora, and fauna. Since water flows, use of a river or aquifer in one place will affect (and be affected by) its use in another, possibly distant, place. Within watersheds, everything is connected: surface water and groundwater, quality and quantity. Water fluctuates wildly in space and time, further complicating its management, which is usually fragmented and subject to vague, arcane, or contradictory legal principles. Water cannot be managed for a single purpose: all water management serves multiple objectives and navigates among competing interests. Within a nation, these interests— domestic users, farmers, hydropower generators, recreational users, ecosystems—are often at odds, and the probability of a mutually acceptable solution falls exponentially in proportion to the number of stakeholders. Add international boundaries, and the chances drop yet again. Without a mutual solution,
these parties can find themselves in dispute, and even violent conflict, with each other or with state authorities. Still, water-related disputes must be considered in the broader political, ethnic, and religious context. Water is never the single—and hardly ever the major— cause of conflict. But it can exacerbate existing tensions and therefore must be considered within the larger context of conflict and peace.
From the Middle East to New Mexico, the problems remain the same. So, however, do many of the solutions. Human ingenuity has developed ways to address water shortages and cooperate in managing water resources. In fact, cooperative events between riparian states outnumbered conflicts by more than two to one between 1945 and 1999. In addition, water has also been a productive pathway for building confidence, developing cooperation, and preventing conflict, even in particularly contentious basins. In some cases, water provides one of the few paths for dialogue in otherwise heated bilateral conflicts. In politically unsettled regions, water is an essential part of regional development negotiations, which serve as de facto conflict-prevention strategies.