Water shortages are becoming an increasing part of the international political agenda as many factors affect the supply and demand of this basic stuff of life. Special reports in this newspaper today indicate that overpopulation, deforestation, soil erosion and the growth of huge cities all put severe pressure on water resources. So do climate change and global warming. It has never been as necessary to treat the subject with the priority it deserves.
So far the record shows a surprising degree of transborder co-operation in tackling the issue. The mismatch of physical and political geography means that most of the world's great waterways flow though many states - the Nile, for example, through nine. International systems of management have been developed often over many hundreds of years. But even in these cases environmental and economic pressures often intrude unacceptably - as with the Rhine, in one of the most developed parts of Europe, where building on flood plains has destroyed the capacity to absorb flash flooding. Far more dangerous environmental damage has affected rivers in less developed parts of the world.
But countries with such waterways are fortunate, especially if they can control flows upstream. Many states, especially in the Middle East, face increasing shortages which seem to reflect long term reductions in supply. It is not surprising that talk of water wars is heard more often, or that control of water supplies becomes a potent factor in regional peace negotiations. The issue is a very active one between Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan and Syria. With the water level falling in the Sea of Galilee it becomes easier to understand why the Israeli prime minister, Mr Barak, should be reluctant to agree a state boundary that would give Syria access to the river which feeds it. The Litani River in Lebanon has also figured often in regional diplomacy. It is easy to foresee that water resources for everyday life, agriculture and industrial use will be actively discussed in the final status talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
There is room to develop more effective means of negotiating and sharing this vital resource rather than allowing it gradually to become a cause of belligerence between neighbouring states. International law and arbitration have important roles to play. Co-operation usually holds out the promise of greater husbanding of the available supplies rather than relying solely on regional balances of power to determine access. International aid and education about preservation must also be brought to bear on the problem. So far desalination technology and space exploration have played limited roles in this endeavour; but that is likely to change. In both cases international co-operation may be the only means of mobilising sufficient resources to make a real difference to supplies. Ireland is fortunate indeed in having abundant water. But providing it to households and work places is expensive and contentious. Environmental degradation of lakes and waterways demonstrates why we must never take such a precious resource for granted. We have much to learn from states which are not so well endowed.