Water and Conflict
An adult can live without food for several weeks, but only two or three days without water. Water gives life and we rely on a continuous source of it to stay healthy. Without a reliable source of water, life becomes unstable. When food production, sanitation, health, education, drinking, cattle rearing, etc. are threatened due to water scarcity, confl ict often arises.

If water is life, then possessing it gives power. Most conflict deals with the distribution or leveraging of power. When some people don’t have access to clean water and others do, there is an unequal distribution of power that can cause confl ict. According to a 1996 NATO/CCMS study, “Water shortage is generally seen as the environmental problem most likely to lead to violent confl ict.” When studying nations’ internal and external confl ict, water is noteworthy for several reasons:

Agriculture
Water scarcity within a country that depends heavily on agriculture for its economy can cause political instability and internal strife.

Urban Migration
Rural people who lack a stable water supply may migrate to urban areas, leading to overcrowding and stress on already limited resources.

Privatization
Private ownership of water often raises prices many times putting water of reach for the poor who need it most. This unequal distribution of resources can increase confl icts within a country.

Refugees
People living in the midst of confl ict may have to leave their homes to seek water in harsh, and even dangerous environments.

International Waterways.
90% of all usable water in the Middle East and North Africa crosses over one or more international boundaries. This gives neighbors who live upstream the ability to exert sovereignty over the fl ow at any time just by increasing consumption.

The presence of accessible safe water is important in preventing conflict and taking care of people in the midst of violent conflict. Lifewater International helps people have access to safe, clean water. Lifewater’s participatory approach to water development and health helps communities learn to work together. With the right technology and social cooperation, scarcity of water does not have to lead to conflict.