Natasha Hall
Introduction
The story of water scarcity and conflict in the Middle East is an old one. Since 2500 BCE, the vast majority of documented violent incidents related to water have been in the Middle East and North Africa—442 by the count of the Pacific Institute.1 From ancient aqueducts to modern water systems, technology has allowed communities to develop water resources despite aridity and intervals of drought. But for all of technology’s miracles, governance and politics play a crucial role. Today, the region has access to more advanced technology for discovering and exploiting water resources than ever before. Yet communities continue to face extreme water insecurity. Violence over water is increasing, and conflict is impeding the ability to reform.
Rapidly growing populations, along with failures to effectively manage water and waste, have brought many countries to a precipice. According to the Iraqi government, the average flow of the once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has declined 70 percent over the past century.2 The great man-made lakes of central Iraq, al Habbaniyah and al Razzaza, have all but disappeared.3 The Khabur River in Syria has been reduced to a mere dribble of sewage.4 And the legendary Jordan River is little more than a trickle by the time it reaches its eponymous country. The water level of the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River discharges, has dropped the equivalent of a seven-story building since the year 2000.
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