Water Crisis in The Middle East

Extracted from my 2010 Postgraduate LLM Dissertation (awarded Distinction Class) relating to the water crisis in the Middle East with specific reference to the Euphrates - Tigris river basin.

“Not every region, not every country, and not every person receives an equal share of [the world’s] potential water supply ... and not all of the water can be harnessed or utilised”[1].  As Christopher Kukk and David Deese illustrate, the problem surrounding the distribution of water across the globe is the uneven division of this critical resource.  Put simply, water is dispersed throughout the world disproportionately and even if it is available it cannot necessarily be used.  Despite being one of earth’s most abundant resources, covering in the region of 70% of its surface, as Al Venter outlines 97% of this is seawater[2].  Consequently only 3% of the worlds water supply is freshwater with approximately nine-tenths of this being confined in glaciers, ice caps, the atmosphere and deep aquifers, thus subsequently only one half of one percent of the earth’s water is drinkable[3].

Water has historically been viewed as being a renewable resource, however this is an inaccurate perception and water must be considered as being a finite source with a limit that is greatly affected by climate change and the increasing world population.  As Kukk and Deese describe, “...only a specific amount of water is renewed each year through the hydrological cycle [and] the problem is that as populations increase, the internal renewable supply of water per person ... decreases”[4]  Peter Gleick summarises that “...as human populations grow, improving standards of living increase the demand for fresh water and global climatic changes make water supply and demand more problematic and uncertain”[5].  Increasing per capita demand for water in recent years has created the current international tension surrounding access to water; just as wars have been fought over other valuable resources, such as oil and gas, so it has been predicted by scholars that the possibility of future conflict over water is inevitable[6]. 

A region that is particularly volatile to this doom laden foresight is the Middle East.  Venter’s model of water distribution pinpoints that of the miniscule percentage of drinking water available to the world barely a single percentage point of this is in the Middle East[7].  In the last thirty years, the population of the Middle East has more than doubled and in a particularly arid and dry area that is already riddled with political tension, disagreement and an unstable history, antagonism and conflict are anticipated as demand increases for the precious commodity of water[8]. As Michael Klare advises, creating ways to peacefully resolve the increasing demand and rivalry over water is crucial and an urgent concern[9].  Klare goes on to state that many countries perceive controlling water as a requirement which is worth fighting for and water, like oil and natural gas has led to discussions of national security[10]. This outlook is shared by Gleick who believes that where water is scarce, competition for these limited supplies become objectives of state military action and instruments of war which threaten international stability[11].

Contested resource zones include large river systems such as the Nile, the Jordan, the Tigris, the Euphrates, and the Indus[12].  Of particular concern in the Middle East is the management of the Euphrates – Tigris River Basin by Turkey, Syria and Iraq.  The three countries have been locked in diplomatic negotiations for decades regarding the management and distribution of the water resources from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, yet have been unable to agree upon a permanent tripartite treaty[13].  As Gruen asserts, many issues have hindered collaboration between the states including national sovereignty, historical grievances, and conflicting interests and these have contributed towards the lack of a binding agreement[14].