page_title: Water scarcity
section_title: Managing water crises
hierarchical_section_title: Water scarcity / Managing water crises
caption_attribution_description: English: Water crisis warning in Cape Town: Cut water use now! Afrikaans: Waterkrisiswaarskuwing in Kaapstad: Verlaag watergebruik nou! Deutsch: Wasserkrise in Kapstadt: Jetzt Wasserverbrauch vermindern! IsiXhosa: Isilumkiso sentlekele yokunqongophala kwamanzi: Nciphisa usetyenziso lwamanzi ngoku!
context_page_description: Water scarcity is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. Water scarcity can also be caused by droughts, lack of rainfall, or pollution. This was listed in 2019 by the World Economic Forum as one of the largest global risks in terms of potential impact over the next decade. It is manifested by partial or no satisfaction of expressed demand, economic competition for water quantity or quality, disputes between users, irreversible depletion of groundwater, and negative impacts on the environment. Two-thirds of the global population live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least 1 month of the year. Half a billion people in the world face severe water scarcity all year round. Half of the world's largest cities experience water scarcity.
  A mere 0.014% of all water on Earth is both fresh and easily accessible. Of the remaining water, 97% is saline and a little less than 3% is difficult to access. Technically, there is a sufficient amount of freshwater on a global scale.
context_section_description: It is alleged that the likelihood of conflict rises if the rate of change within a basin exceeds the capacity of institutions to absorb that change. Although water crises can relate closely to regional tensions, history has shown that cases of cooperation far outnumber acute conflicts over water.
  However, lack of cooperation may give rise to regional conflicts in many parts of the world, specially in the global south, largely because of the disputes regarding the availability, use and management of water. For example, the dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has escalated in 2020. Egypt sees the dam as an existential threat, fearing that the dam will reduce the amount of water it receives from the Nile.
  The key, therefore, lies in strong institutions and cooperation. The Indus River Commission and the 1960 Indus Water Treaty have survived two  wars between India and Pakistan despite the two countries' mutual hostility, proving a successful mechanism in resolving conflicts by providing a framework for consultation, inspection and exchange of data. The Mekong Committee has functioned since 1957 and outlived the Vietnam War of 1955–1975. In contrast, regional instability results when countries lack institutions to co-operate in regional collaboration, like  Egypt's plan for a high dam on the Nile. However, as of 2019 no global institution supervises the management of trans-boundary water sources, and international co-operation has happened through ad hoc collaboration between agencies, like the Mekong Committee which formed due to an alliance between UNICEF and the US Bureau of Reclamation. Formation of strong international institutions seems to provide a way forward – they encourage early intervention and management, avoiding costly  dispute-resolution processes.
  One common feature of almost all resolved disputes is that the negotiations had a "need-based" instead of a "right–based" paradigm. Irrigable lands, population, and technicalities of projects define "needs". The success of a need-based paradigm is reflected in the only water agreement ever negotiated in the  Jordan River Basin, which focuses in needs not on rights of riparians. In the Indian subcontinent, the irrigation requirements of Bangladesh determine water allocations of the Ganges River. A need-based, regional approach focuses on satisfying individuals with their need of water, ensuring that minimum quantitative needs are  met. It removes the conflict that arises when countries view the treaty from a national-interest point-of-view and move away from a zero-sum approach to a positive-sum, integrative approach that equitably allocates water and its benefits.
  The Blue Peace framework developed by Strategic Foresight Group in partnership with the governments of Switzerland and Sweden offers a unique policy structure which promotes sustainable management of water resources combined with cooperation for peace. By making the most of shared water-resources through cooperation rather than mere allocation between countries, the chances for peace can increase. The Blue Peace approach has proven effective in (for example) the Middle East and the Nile basin. NGOs like Water.org, There Is No Limit Foundation, and Charity: Water are leading the way in providing access to clean water.
caption: Cape Town water crisis warning
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