Water Scarcity May Lead to Instability, Conflicts & Migration, Media Says

Dario Soto Abril, Executive Secretary at the Global Water Partnership, described water security as an “essential matter of national security”, and suggested that countries may actually try to “weaponize” water.

While conflicts over resources are hardly anything new, it appears that disputes regarding one particular resource may lead to catastrophic consequences such as civil uprisings and “nuclear war”, according to the Daily Express - and surprisingly, this isn’t about oil.

Citing the data from the Pacific Institute, the media outlet notes that some 200 violent conflicts related to water occurred during the past three years, as our “warming planet” witnesses “more erratic rainfall and severe droughts.”

Meanwhile Dario Soto Abril, Executive Secretary at the Global Water Partnership, warned that “water security is an essential matter of national security.”

“Not having water security creates economic uncertainty because water is connected to agriculture and manufacturing,” he said. “So lack of water would reduce the economic intake of the country or the region.”

Noting that the lack of water may lead to instability in a country and even “civil uprisings which will create conflicts” within said country, Abril added that water scarcity might lead to people migrating to the United States or Europe.

“If people have no water security in the region, they will most likely come to Europe or the US,” he said. “That is another reason why water security is connected to national security.”

He also warned that “there's always a potential that countries could weaponize water, there's always the tension.”