The authors have been chosen because they cover a select, but representative range of issues, and their contributions can serve to raise levels of public awareness in order that effective conflict mitigation strategies can be developed. Cheyanne Church starts off by introducing the notion of water and security, specifically identifying different levels and different types of water-related conflict. Richard Meissner then goes into more detail with a case study of the Orange River, focussing on the spectrum of possible hydro-political interaction. Sarch analyses the Lake Chad area of West Africa, where she suggests that although administrative systems may appear to be unwieldy, where they do work, they should be left in place. This emphasises the possibility of developing African solutions to African problems.
Water scarcity is the emphasis of most popular writing on water issues.
Anthony Turton gives insight into the problem of floods by focussing on the most devastating Southern Africa natural disaster of the last 100 years. Jeroen Warner, a political scientist with deep insight into hydro-political issues, then wraps up by discussing the oldest of the known water conflict regions the Nile River Basin. It was in the Nile Basin that the popular rhetoric emerged, suggesting that wars of the twenty-first century would be fought over water. We hope you find these contributions interesting and stimulating.