by Sam Miller

Created on: September 04, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

If wars will be fought in the future over water, and whether world leaders are able to find solutions to resolve such conflicts, would likely depend on how far the nations of the world are prepared to collectively fight against the contamination of the world's rivers, streams, lakes and other sources of good drinking water.

Water, even though a free gift of nature, can become highly polluted and contaminated, making it unfit for drinking or human consumption, which is its primary use. Water is a precious liquid mineral (H2O) which every living thing requires to survive. Without water no living creature can survive on earth. This is the reason why no living thing can survive on any other planet than on earth. Water is essential for the sustenance of life itself.

It becomes very imperative that the sources of water should be protected from harmful contaminants or pollutants, suchs as toxic chemicals and waste materials from Industrial factories or plants. According to the Wikipedia free encyclopedia, 'Water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases and it accounts for the death of more than 14,000 people daily.'

The United Nations General Assembly in recognition of the importance of water to our world, adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 on 22 Dec 1992 and declared 22 March 2009 every year as world's water day. It is our collective duty to protect the water we drink from contamination or pollution by the adoption of conservative methods in the way we dischage sediments, toxic chemicals and waste materials that contain harmful chemicals such as iron,mercury and lead that could destroy and pollute acquatic and marine life in the oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes.

If wars could be fought for reasons as diverse as the assassination of world leaders, religion, border expansion, tribal or ethnic hegemony, and the acquisition of mineral resources, it is not too far-fetched that in the foreseeable future, a war may be fought over the scarcity of water.

Already in some parts of Africa devastated by drought and famine like Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia wars have been fought as an indirect consequence of water.

More needs to be done by the world's nations to preserve our water from pollution. The United Nations as already mentioned declaring 22 March of every year to commemorate world's water day. Conservative groups or lobbies around the world need to draw the awareness of the world on the need to conserve our sources of water.

The global warming and climate change activists and Green peace are doing a good work to create awareness on the dangers posed by climate change and global warming to our world. More still needs to be done to champion the cause of water conservation in our world .

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