Water-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said.
There were 419 incidents of water-related violence recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022, according to the Pacific Institute, a US-based thinktank.
The institute has compiled evidence of hundreds of years of water-related conflicts, including cases of water being a trigger for violence, a weapon of conflict or a casualty of conflict.
“We’re seeing more conflicts and they are multicausal,” said Dr Peter Gleick, a co-founder and senior fellow at the institute. “The climate crisis and extreme weather play a part but there are lots of other factors such as state failure and incompetent or corrupt governments, and lack of or misuse of infrastructure.”
Joanna Trevor, Oxfam’s water security lead, said the charity had also seen “an increase in localised conflicts over water due to climate change and water insecurity”.
Recent examples include tensions over an Indus River water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan after a terrorist attack, Russia targeting hydropower dams in Ukraine, Israel destroying Gaza’s water systems, and protests over water supplies in South Africa.
“In Gaza, Israel systematically weaponised water,” Trevor said. “They deliberately targeted water systems and desalination plants and blocked repairs. Wastewater contaminated drinking water due to the destruction of sewage and storm water infrastructure, and people have been attacked while waiting or queueing for water.
“In east Africa and the Sahel, water is becoming increasingly insecure and people are moving into new areas to access water, which in itself can trigger competition and conflict with the host population.”
