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"Water: Source for conflict or cooperation? An African Perspective."

"Water: Source for conflict or cooperation? An African Perspective." . Solomon A. Isiorho (PhD), Dept of Geosciences, IPFW. Talk Outline. Introduction Water Conflicts: Fact or Myth? Historical Perspective Water Conflicts by Regions Lake Chad Basin. Introduction. Water

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"Water: Source for conflict or cooperation? An African Perspective."

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  1. "Water: Source for conflict or cooperation? An African Perspective." Solomon A. Isiorho (PhD), Dept of Geosciences, IPFW

  2. Talk Outline • Introduction • Water Conflicts: Fact or Myth? • Historical Perspective • Water Conflicts by Regions • Lake Chad Basin

  3. Introduction • Water • Nearly one third of the world population (~4 billion people) will experience severe water shortage within the next 20 years

  4. Water availability per person per year

  5. Introduction • Water

  6. Introduction • Water

  7. Introduction • Drainage Basins (Watershed)

  8. Introduction Surface waters • There are over 214 major rivers shared by two or more countries e.g. Amazon, Euphrates, Danube, Jordan, Niger • About 97 % of surface water in Egypt is from outside the nation

  9. Introduction Groundwater

  10. Water Related Conflicts • Are there really water related conflicts?

  11. Potential Reasons for Conflict • Unequal distribution of water • Inefficient water use • Increase in Population • Pollution • Rising Cost of water • Inflexibility, inefficient,and inequitable agreements for managing waters • Control (Politics) • Much of world’s most accessible freshwater supplies are located in basins and aquifers that cross international borders

  12. Resolving ConflictsTwo Traditional Doctrines • Doctrine of unlimited territorial sovereignty states that a country has exclusive rights to the waters within its territory.. First used by US (India is doing the same) • Unlimited Territorial integrity states that one country cannot alter the quantity and quality of water available to another (Egypt) • Equitable and reasonable use

  13. Water Related Conflicts Historical Perspective . 1503 Florence and Pisa warring states military tool (MT) • 1642 China Ming Dynasty (MT) • 1863 United States Civil War US Grant (MT) • 1898 Egypt; France and Britain MT and Political

  14. Water Related Conflicts Historical Perspective Contd. 1944-1945 Multiple parties Military targets involving German, Italy, Britain, United States … Isoletta Dam (Liri R.) British Royal Air Force bombed dams on Mohne, Sorpe, Eder Rivers .. Killing 1,200 & destroying dams downstream Flooding of area occupied by US troop, Ay river valley flooded, and also flooding of II River valley creating a lake 16 km long, 3-6 Km wide and 1-2 meters deep

  15. Water Related Conflicts in the 1990s 1991 Iraq Kuwait 1995 Ecuador Peru military over head waters of Cenepa River 1997 Singapore, Malaysia Political 1999 Lusaka Zambia terrorism on water pipe line to city of Lusaka (3 m people) 1999 Kosovo Terrorism contamination of water supplies/wells 1999-2000 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia .. Zambezi/Chobe rivers border dispute and access to water

  16. Water Conflicts by Regions • Middle East • Arab-Israel- • 1948 Arabs Israelis … Arab forces cut off West Jerusalem water supply

  17. Water Conflicts by Regions • Middle East • Arab-Israel- • Rivers

  18. Water Conflicts by Regions • Middle East • Arab-Israel- • Groundwater

  19. Water Conflicts by Regions

  20. Water Conflicts by Regions

  21. Water Conflicts by Regions • Middle East • Turkey • 1990 Iraq, Syria, Turkey development dispute flow from Euphrates interrupted for a month .. Ataturk Dam as part of the grand Anatolia Project

  22. Water Conflicts by Regions • Middle East • Turkey • Euphrates

  23. Water Conflicts by Regions • Asia • Ganges – originates in China passing through Nepal • Especially between Bangladesh and Indian • India versus Pakistan over the Indus River

  24. Water Conflicts by Regions • Central America • Mexico and Guatemala • Usumacinte, Suchiate and Grijala Rivers originate in Guatemala and enter into Mexico…. Agreement based on principle of equitable, rational and optimum utilization

  25. Water Conflicts by Regions • North America • Rio Grande, Colorado and Tijuan rivers between US and Mexico

  26. Water Conflicts by Regions • Africa • West Africa- Lake Chad

  27. Potential for Conflict in Lake Chad • Limiting Factors • Importance of Lake Chad • Possible Solutions

  28. Lake Chad Basin

  29. Limiting Factors • Global Climate Change

  30. Climatic Effect

  31. Shoreline Monitoring

  32. Limiting Factors • Global Climate Change • Droughts

  33. Limiting Factor: Drought

  34. Limiting Factors • Population

  35. Limiting Factors • Conflicts

  36. Limiting Factors: Conflicts • Changing Shorelines • Flux in Boundary demarcation

  37. Limiting Factors: Conflicts • Water rights

  38. Limiting Factors • None involvement of Stakeholders

  39. Limiting Factors Pollution

  40. Limiting Factors • Education

  41. Importance of Lake Chad • Political Boundary • Provides Protein (Fish)

  42. Importance of Lake Chad • Provides jobs • Provides water

  43. Importance of Lake Chad • Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo appeals to the UN Development Programme and other international agencies for help in reversing the gradual recession and degradation of Lake Chad,once the world's sixth largest, • "Your vision for the people of the Lake Chad basin must have at its core the security and well-being of the suffering masses as well as the unity of the member-nations," • In Abuja at the opening of the 47th session of the Lake Chad Basin Commission • Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000-0003bA-00 (Wednesday 8 March)

  44. Possible Solution(s) • Management strategy • interpretation and dissemination of information • eliminate water wasting projects • involve stakeholders • conjunctive surface & ground water use

  45. Possible Solution(s) • Role of Lake Chad Basin Commission • coordinate data collection/management • Members states of the commission, formed in 1964 to ensure optimal use of the lake basin's water resources, are Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. • The commission is also supposed to coordinate the planning and implementation of all regional projects of the lake basin, review complaints and help settle disputes.

  46. Summary • There are potential water related conflict areas around the world. • Would need Scientific input- Hydrology • Conjunctive use of surface and ground water • Stakeholders • Involvement • Education • A two-way process

  47. Conclusions • Cooperation is better than • Conflict

  48. Water Security Meeting Demand for the Water Security Summitt 2001 has been extraordinary! • In fact the WaterSecurity.Org Web servers were a little overwhelmed by the response. Our Internet provider just increased our bandwidth and upgraded our Web servers to ensure a smooth registration process. • Apply for your free registration today by clicking the link below: • http://www.watersecurity.org?pid=B968H9TC&m=011108WSSs • WSS is strictly nonprofit and is free to qualified professionals. • Location: Hartford, CT USA • Date: December 3-4, 2001

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