Water Is A Matter Of National Security
- Post 26 January 2011
- Last Updated on 26 January 2011
- By NVS StandPoint
Water Is A Matter Of National Security.
January 25, 2010
In 1950, there were 2.5 billion people in the world. Today, there are nearly 7 billion, but the quantity of water available for human use is finite. Currently, half of the world’s major rivers are seriously depleted and polluted, threatening the security, health and livelihood of people. In sub-Saharan Africa, more people die from water-related infections than from wars, conflicts, and HIV/AIDS combined.
The security risks deriving from finite water resources and population growth manifests in reduced state capacity, social conflicts, civil violence and even international conflicts. The perennial conflict between farmers and herdsmen over grazing lands are early manifestations of this phenomenon. Paradoxically, excess water, especially through flooding also threatens life and property. Economists have estimated the cost of flooding in Nigeria at N1.2 trillion in the last few years.
The foregoing dictates that water should be regarded as a top national security issue and this is why we call on the government to take steps to manage our water resources from a security perspective. The government must urgently develop a security plan to manage our water resources; grow the capacity to reverse the effects of land degradation, water-sheds and water-courses; appreciate the dynamics of international “hydro-politics” and map out strategies on conflict areas in domestic and international waters. The government must also create an action-plan against flooding and strengthen institutional capacity to mitigate river and lake pollution.
Across the world, water is being included in the agendas of the highest authorities responsible for national security. We must embrace similar policies before water – which is the source of life- becomes a source of death and destruction
In 1950, there were 2.5 billion people in the world. Today, there are nearly 7 billion, but the quantity of water available for human use is finite. Currently, half of the world’s major rivers are seriously depleted and polluted, threatening the security, health and livelihood of people. In sub-Saharan Africa, more people die from water-related infections than from wars, conflicts, and HIV/AIDS combined.
The security risks deriving from finite water resources and population growth manifests in reduced state capacity, social conflicts, civil violence and even international conflicts. The perennial conflict between farmers and herdsmen over grazing lands are early manifestations of this phenomenon. Paradoxically, excess water, especially through flooding also threatens life and property. Economists have estimated the cost of flooding in Nigeria at N1.2 trillion in the last few years.
The foregoing dictates that water should be regarded as a top national security issue and this is why we call on the government to take steps to manage our water resources from a security perspective. The government must urgently develop a security plan to manage our water resources; grow the capacity to reverse the effects of land degradation, water-sheds and water-courses; appreciate the dynamics of international “hydro-politics” and map out strategies on conflict areas in domestic and international waters. The government must also create an action-plan against flooding and strengthen institutional capacity to mitigate river and lake pollution.
Across the world, water is being included in the agendas of the highest authorities responsible for national security. We must embrace similar policies before water – which is the source of life- becomes a source of death and destruction
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The StandPoint is the consensual position of the NVS editorial board.
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In Nigeria, it is a ring fenced source of easy income for astute politicians turned business men.
Think concession of management and supply of water to urban populations
Standpointers,
thank you for waking up to a very basic issue. I want more on ECOLOGY! (which I have been teaching in African Journalism schools for the last 30 years, taking my students - sometimes against their will - to tghe pollution hot-spots, be it in Lagos, Accra mor Addis Ababa...) T H A N K S gerd meuer PS: materials can be provided for free !!!
Standpointers, i commend you foresight. But you see, lets map out how to manage OIL now. Thats what is threatening us more than ever.
P.S Penkelmess EKOLOGY is a different subject, more on refuse management than water conservation. I hope you are not mixing them up in your journals. Any way they are both part of the echosystem! So you may continue to dish out your journal writings. They are simply "Wunderber!"
Iyke,
though it pains me... I must contradict you for once: water is very much a part of ecology: whether pure or dirty! I missed you in my classes at NIJ and the Ecole du Journalisme in Yaounde. but then yozu can't be everywhere: I understand! YOUR prof
Iyke,
did you see the google ad on top? it says: "how stop global warming? SIEMENS has answers..." Na wow! is that the same Naija Siemens? gerd
You see we are prescient. what the World is realizing we discovered longtime! infact you forgot to add that SIEMENS does that with an Aroma. And then we all get Aromatic snaps!
iYKE;
siemens IS DISCRIMINATING against its very own German 'indigenes'. since here they do NOT add that Aroma. I must sue them and kia-kia so. But then... may be their deed was all part of that German Berlin conference thing, after which they became that 'His Majesty's' (Wilhelm') supplier of telephones, i.e. the old fixed ones: they were rather unsuccessful with the ones without that long line. now you know all again. admit that I pamper you! gerd
Water for where? Water is one thing you will never see in the diary of any nigerian leader-slave master. Nigerians and even the press have surrendered to lack of water as you would never read anywhere in the nigerian media where they talk of absence of pipe borne water which is a basic in other countries including very less endowed one's right here in Africa.
Nigeria is a lost case!
Nigeria is perhaps the only country in the world that claims to be a regional giant without having clean, treated, pipe-borne water in any of its cities! None - not even one - of Nigeria's cities has running, pipe-borne water.
Penklemes, while we are talking of Pipes and Pipe-borne you are pampering me with OLD unfixable (Phoney) lines. Who is the problem then!
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