Journal A s Israel and Syria begin the latest round of negotiations to bring peace to the Middle East, one recalls the words spoken by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in 1979 after he signed the historic accord that brought peace between Israel and Egypt. King Hussein of Jordan echoed Sadat's theme in 1990 when he proclaimed that water was the only issue that could take his country to war with Israel.
Humans use an enormous amount of water.
We dam rivers, pump groundwater and siphon lakes and rivers to grow our food, quench our thirst, spur our industry. Around the world, our contamination of aquatic ecosystems is enormous. One-fifth of China's river water is too polluted for irrigation, much less for drinking. Three-fourths of Poland's rivers are so contaminated by chemicals, sewage, and agricultural runoff that their water is unfit for even industrial use. 75 percent of Russia's lake and river water is unsafe to drink.