Scientists and think tanks believe that future wars will be fighting for water. Yes, you read that right. Due to water shortages caused by climate change and population growth, a report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center estimates that there is a 75% to 90% probability of war due to water resources in the next century. The report was estimated using an advanced machine learning algorithm that identified five hot spots of potential conflicts where multiple countries share the same body of water. The identified hotspots are the Ganges-Brahmaputra region, where water flows through Bangladesh and India; the Colorado River flows through the United States and Mexico; the Indus region, where a body of water separates India and Pakistan; flows through Turkey and Syria The Tigris-Euphrates River in Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait; and finally the Nile River, which runs through 11 African countries. The lack of water in these bodies of water may exacerbate existing tensions.
From the time of Ancient Greece, including Alexander the Great, the Nile River has sowed mysteries and myths. In many stories spanning generations, this river is also a symbol of romance. But today, she may become the cause of the war world. Treaties signed in 1929 and 1959 provided Egypt and Sudan with water rights. These treaties also mean that no other country can build dams or infrastructure to reduce the share of water resources in these two countries. 90% of Egypt’s water needs depend on the Nile River. However, the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), jointly constructed by Ethiopia and China, has not been approved by Egypt or Sudan, making things sharper in the region. After Ethiopia completed the second stage of filling the dam this week, tensions between the two countries reached the highest level, which increased the risk of water shortages for Egyptians downstream. According to reports, Ethiopia has now transferred approximately 13.5 billion cubic meters of water from the Nile.
with information from: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/crisis-in-africa-future-wars-could-be-for-water-1831106-2021-07-22
