According to a new study, the number of violent incidents related to water resources has increased dramatically around the world in recent years.

The annual Water Conflict Chronology report by the think tank Pacific Institute shows that there were 347 cases of water-related armed conflict in 2023, compared to 231 in 2022.

These include attacks on water systems, disputes over access to water and the use of water as a weapon of war.

Dr. Peter Gleick, senior fellow and co-founder of the Pacific Institute think tank, said in an interview that the increase in such incidents worldwide in the last year was “worrying.”

“This was a very significant increase and an indication of how important water is and how institutions are failing to manage water properly,” Dr. Gleick told me.

According to the study, conflicts over access to water occurred in all major regions of the world last year.

Morgan Shimabuku, senior researcher at the institute, said there had been a “significant number” of such incidents in Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Shimabuku added that there were also 25 water-related incidents in India last year, compared to 10 in 2022.

She said there had also been a sharp increase in incidents in Latin America related to disputes over control or access to water.

And there was an increase in South Africa: there were 16 events in 2023, compared to five in 2022.

“Water is a vital resource for people, for our well-being, our economy and for cultural purposes,” Shimabuku said.

“The report reflects the growing pressure from all sides on access to water, whether due to climate change, armed conflict or increasing demand.”

Turning to the impacts of climate change, Dr Gleick said the report highlights examples where extreme droughts in countries such as India lead to violent incidents.

“Climate change definitely plays a role, although we don’t yet know the full extent of that role,” he added.

In March, UNESCO published a separate report on behalf of UN-Water, which warned that tensions over water are exacerbating conflicts around the world

According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2024, 2.2 billion people still do not have access to safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation.

It calls on nations to strengthen international cooperation and cross-border agreements to maintain peace.

The Pacific Institute report also highlights that agreements on water sharing and joint management can help resolve cross-border conflicts, such as those along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

And when international laws are enforced, they can help protect infrastructure such as dams, pipelines and water treatment plants.

Looking to the future, it is important to stimulate more discussions about possible solutions, increase investment in infrastructure and strengthen international agreements, said Dr. Gleick.

“Depending on the nature of the conflict, there will be different solutions,” he told me.

“There are hundreds of transboundary watersheds and diplomatic solutions and international agreements are important.

“For example, the US has an agreement with Mexico on the Colorado River and the Rio Grande River, and that has helped reduce conflicts over water resources there. But for many rivers there is no agreement.”

“There are opportunities to reduce conflict over water and the global community needs to pursue these opportunities more actively and proactively,” he added.