How Can Water Cause Conflict?

Water Conflicts

In this course, Professor Philippe Cullet (SOAS, University of London) explores why water conflicts develop at the local and international levels, and how they are governed and resolved. In the first lecture, we think about the ways in which water can be a source of conflict, focusing on the roles of physical scarcity and socio-economic restrictions on access. The second lecture then outlines some key types of water conflicts, incorporating interpersonal, sectoral and legal dimensions. In the third lecture, we examine the existing international governance systems for resolving water disputes between states, noting particularly their limited scope and adoption. The fourth lecture looks at the Nile River as an example of a disputed transboundary watercourse, and how the conflict has been governed. We conclude with a fifth lecture on the treaty system which developed to regulate disputes between India and Pakistan over use of the Indus River.

How Can Water Cause Conflict?

In this lecture, we think about how water can lead to conflict. We focus on: (i) physical scarcity (insufficiency of available water sources for people’s needs) as a factor underpinning many water conflicts; (ii) the different scales at which water conflicts can develop, and their basis often in local-level disputes; (iii) flooding as an important water-related cause of conflict beyond physical scarcity; (iv) the role of the global water cycle in shaping patterns of scarcity and availability; (v) other issues of water access beyond physical scarcity, such as economic factors and social inequality; (vi) the importance of water in the fulfillment of multiple essential human needs, for example drinking water and food production, and how conflicts can develop between these needs in situations of scarcity.