Could climate change cause more water conflicts?

Freshwater sources around the world are becoming more irregular,
and disputes between countries are common, with fears that access
to water could eventually lead to conflict.


There’s a high-profile case going on right now in northeast
Africa, where talks about a huge new dam on the Blue Nile in
Ethiopia have stalled. Ethiopia says it needs the hydroelectric
dam to help solve some of its power supply problems. However, the
Blue Nile is the largest source for the river Nile, which runs
through Egypt, and there are concerns there that the dam will
have huge consequences for people living further downstream.


According to the United Nations, around two-thirds of rivers
shared by two countries or more lack formal agreements on how to
manage the water.


So how can we help countries reach agreements over equal access
to water, and ensure they stick to them in the future?


Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell are joined by:


Samuel Marunga, editor, BBC Monitoring Lenka Thamae, executive
secretary of the Orange-Senqu River Commission Ashok Swain,
professor of peace and conflict research at Uppsala University
Susanne Schmeier, associate professor of water law and diplomacy
at IHE Delft


Producer: Darin Graham Series producers: Richard Fenton-Smith and
Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon Sound engineer: Tom Brignell