The earth is formed of 70% water but most of this is not freshwater, which is what people and animals drink and what countries, states, territories, ethnic groups, and neighbors struggle over.

Of this 70% only 2.5% is freshwater and of the 2.5% there is only 0.007% readily available for human use. (World Water Facts at http://www.pbs.org/now/science/water2.html) Much of this 0.007% is concentrated in certain areas; and other areas, due to political forces, lack of water supply infrastructure, drought, environmental factors - climate change, deforestation, desertification, etc. - are struggling for man's most basic need - water.

Abraham Maslow said that people really cannot get on with their lives unless their most basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter are met. Water is our most basic food. Here in America and other developed countries we don't worry about water much, because it is readily available with sophisticated water supply infrastructure. And we even want better water than our infrastructure gives us so we go out and purchase cases and jugs of spring water. If we are the poorest Americans collecting food stamps we can go buy the most expensive water with our food stamps.

But contrast this to a country in Africa where women and children walk up to six miles a day to retrieve water from a watering hole shared by the animals or from a river contaminated with human and animal fecal material. Or slum areas in countries like Egypt where water supply infrastructure has deteriorated and there isn't the funding to replenish the system.

In many countries in Africa, farmers and herders clash over water for the animals and water for agriculture. In China, irrigation is dwindling fresh water supplies. Some countries have experienced conflict over water used in gold-mining and water taken over by huge water conglomerates who have decided to corner the market on water to make billions of dollars in profits by buying up fresh water sources. And we go to the store to buy this water, while millions are dying of disease and dehydration over having only polluted unsanitary water to drink, or just plain starving to death from lack of water to drink, feed the animals, and grow food.

Even in the United States there are water problems in the Southwest. Las Vegas has since its inception cornered the water supply. And water entrepreneurs in Colorado seek to drain the Colorado River. And water in Canada is not being diverted to the American

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about How is the struggle for water, such as in Ethiopia and Kenya, shaping conflicts in this century??
We want to hear your view. Write now!