Middle East water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution

Although it sterilized the lake, this turnover was not counted as an ecological disaster -- except for bacteria and one type of alga, the Dead Sea is appropriately named -- but the event was a symptom of a wider crisis. The fact is, the Middle East is running out of water. And the people who have built their lives and livelihoods on a reliable source of fresh water are seeing the shortage of this vital resource impinge on all aspects of the tenuous relations that have developed over the years between nations, between economic sectors, and between individuals and their environment. This water crisis is not limited to the Jordan basin, but extends throughout the region, encompassing also the watersheds of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates. This paper explores how this critical water shortage came about, the political tensions that are intertwined with the scarcity of water, and what the nations of the parched and volatile Middle East can do to help alleviate both the water crisis and the attending political pressures. Sections include: a brief hydropolitical history of the Nile, Jordan, and Tigris-Euphrates basins; some technical and policy options for increasing water supply and decreasing demand; an update of the role of water resources in multilateral peace negotiations; a description of the paradigms used to define equity in sharing water resources; and a summary of principles for cooperative regional water management. Includes references. (Author abstract, modified)