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Into the Abyss: Water in Armed Conflicts

The Management of Shared Water

Resources During Armed Conflicts

Joint management of water resources can continue in times of armed conflicts,
especially when river basin organizations are in place. Examples include the
Committee for Co-ordination of Investigations of Lower Mekong River (1957-1974)
and the Permanent Indus Commission, which continued their activities during armed
conflicts.
In the same vein, the joint management of the Senegal River through the Senegal “Organisation pour la la Mise en Valeur du fleuve Sénégal “, OMVS Communication 2013,
River Basin Development Organization (OMVS - Organisation pour la mise en valeur
du fleuve Sénégal) has never been challenged by riparian states. Although relations
between Senegal and Mauritania, two of the riparian states, have been occasionally
strained due to issues relating to the boundary delimitation of the river, common
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management has prevailed over the years, including in times of tension.

Source: Mara Tignino, Water During and After Armed Conflicts. What Protection in International
Law? Brill Research Perspectives in International Water Law, Vol. 1.4, 2016.

“Syria: Water as a weapon of war”, 2015 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
Protection of Urban Water Services

During Armed Conflicts

Armed conflicts are increasingly taking place in urban areas where water resources
are crucial for a number of services and water delivery systems are intertwined with
other systems that may be legitimate targets. Water storage and delivery systems in
cities are very often interconnected with electrical systems. Longer power disruptions
as a result of armed conflicts often result in temporary or long-term cuts in water for
the civilian population and also impact other urban infrastructures like health care or
education. These interconnecting factors increase the vulnerability of water delivery
systems in times of armed conflicts.

Based on the experience of the International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC)
in Iraq and Syria, a possible entry point for increasing the resilience of water and
electrical facilities is the long-term presence of local and international actors prior
http://bit.ly/1EBes9k to the conflict outbreak. Well-established networks and relationships with local
actors are at the basis of ICRC’s work today. Only where reliable partners (e.g. inform
of water boards) exist, is the ICRC able to deliver drinking water and provide other
humanitarian aid.

Sources: Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace, Think Tank Roundtable Summary Report:
Protection of Water During and After Armed Conflicts, July 2016; ICRC 2015, Urban services during
protracted armed conflict: a call for a better approach to assisting affected people, Geneva.

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