Water wars, and the quest for solutions

CHANNING WALKER

Consider this . Israel counts on access to the Golan Heights for as much as 25 percent of its water supply. The Golan Heights. That's the plateau on the border of Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. That's the territory captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War. Yes, those nations are close neighbors. No, they're definitely not close friends. They all need water. Each has its eye on the same water. And that's at least one reason for the seemingly endless conflict.

And consider this. In Peru, tensions approach the breaking point between river-based villagers and mining companies, including one running the largest gold mine in Latin America. Runoff from mining operations contains damaging levels of arsenic, lead, and aluminum. One government report says that over 30 percent of the coastal rivers are now polluted by mining operations.

And consider also this. African nations over the next 25 years, according to a United Nations report, will suffer numerous conflicts. They'll be triggered primarily by demand for water. Water wars are especially likely to break out where major rivers flow through more than one nation.