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December 11th, 2009
Via Peter Gleick’s always insightful blog, a report that the Pacific Institute has released a completely revamped Water Conflict Chronology. As the article notes, this is part of the Institute’s ongoing effort to understand the connections between water resources, water systems, and international security and conflict:
“…Water Number: 203. The Pacific Institute’s newly designed Water Conflict Chronology now has 203 entries (as of today), ranging from 5,000 years ago up to the death of a man in riots over water cuts in Mumbai, India last week.
The newly released Chronology can be viewed in a number of different ways, from a table with full citations to interactive Google Earth water conflict maps (see image below). An interactive timeline is also available that permits users to filter the Chronology by type of conflict, date, and region. Each entry is categorized as one or more of the following types of water conflicts:
– Control of Water Resources: where water supplies or access to water is at the root of tensions.
– Military Tool: where water resources, or water systems, are used by a nation or state as a weapon during a military action.
– Political Tool: where water resources, or water systems, are used by a nation, state, or non-state actor for a political goal.
– Terrorism: where water resources, or water systems, are either targets or tools of violence or coercion by non-state actors.
– Military Target: where water resource systems are targets of military actions by nations or states.
– Development Disputes: where water resources or water systems are a major source of contention and dispute in the context of economic and social development.
Recent world events from the Middle East to China to India to Ethiopia and other regions continue to result in new entries…
A screen shot of the new interactive map of water conflicts throughout history.