In the Holy Qur’an, God reminds us that it is He who sends down life-sustaining water as signs for the believers (Surah al-An‘am, verse 99).
Kitab al-Musaqah (Book on Distributing Water) in Imam al-Bukhari’s authentic collection of Prophetic sayings Sahih Bukhari indicated a religiously prescribed collective responsibility (fard kifayah) to ensure the protection of water sources and the sharing of surpluses with neighbours and surrounding communities including grazing animals, lands that require irrigation, and also travellers.
Early this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared that global scarcity of water caused by climate change, depletion due to overuse, and pollution as “one of the greatest challenges of our time”. Growing hotspots of water-stress which arise “from an imbalance between water use and water resources” are not limited to just regions in North Africa and the Middle East, but also in Eurasia and North America.
God reminds us in the Qur’an that human beings suffer retribution because it is they who wreak havoc upon the environment they are charged to take care in the first place. Thus, He says: “Calamities have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of the people have earned, so that He (Allah) makes them taste some of what they did, in order that they may return (to the right way)” (Surah al-Rum, verse 41).
In 2015, scientists warned about megadroughts which could affect states in the north-western hemisphere for decades from 2050 well into the turn of the next century.
A 2018 report published by China Dialogue has detailed the looming water crisis which China is facing, “with eight northern provinces suffer from acute water scarcity, four from scarcity, and a further two (Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia) are largely desert.” The report suggests that better governance is needed to tackle the problem of which the “consequences will not be limited to China.”
Yet, those are not the only countries which require better water management policies. Closer to home, the states of Selangor and Negri Sembilan experienced a drought which required water rationing for seven months (from February to August 2014).
Water crises have the potential to unleash disasters which will always put human lives at stake.
Lack of water for drinking and washing creates unhygienic conditions, which in turn serves as breeding ground for epidemic diseases.
Looking at how the tripling of world’s population in the 20th century has exacerbated the water woes, studies done by institutions and government planners across the globe such as the World Bank, the World Water Council, the Pacific Institute, and Forecast International have all come to the same conclusion that extended water crises may give rise to violent conflicts.
According to an expert on war studies, Lawrence Freedman in his book The Future of War (2017), wars culminate from ideological and religious conflicts, failure of political orders, and struggles over scarce land and mineral resources. However, he also indicated that, apart from these causes, wars in the next 100 years may be caused by struggle for control over sources of water.
In ancient and medieval times, battles were often won by deploying tactics that involved taking the mobile advantage of horsemen to reach quickly the sources of water. The first army to arrive at the water sources and control its access would be able to block its supply from the enemy forces, thus putting them at a disadvantage.
In fortress defence strategy, soldiers used to flood water wells and destroy cisterns in their vicinity by throwing in carrion, poisoned water, and sublimated arsenic as an early form of biochemical warfare in last-ditch attempt to prevent them falling into enemy hands.
While there has already been precedence in using water deprivation or denying its sources for the purpose of weakening and defeating enemies, future wars may prove to be more devastating due to increasing scale and use of even deadlier weapons among which non-biodegradable chemicals may count.
However, employing warlike strategy in peace time may unnecessarily backfire, driving off prospective allies and creating enemies out of friends.
As stated in many “mirror for princes” Muslim classical works on statecraft and governance such as Imam al-Ghazali’s Nasihat al-Muluk (Counsel for Kings), the wise leader manages his lands with skill and experience, avoiding violent conflict by engaging in diplomacy (bi-’l-kutub) and deploying appropriate policies and strategies (bi-’l-ihtiyal).
Therefore, taking care of our water sources is the one of the best strategies we can bring to bear in times of relative peace. As the impact of water crisis cannot be overemphasised, any lack of foresight or action that frustrates the proper management of water is an open invitation for conflict and disaster.