The links below provide an outline of the material for this lesson. Be sure to carefully read through the entire lesson before returning to Canvas to submit your assignments.
In Lesson 10, students will explore current and historical water conflicts from any part of the world. After reading Chapter 11 of the text, gaining insight into how water conflicts arise, you will choose a water conflict to profile in a case study. Two sample case studies are provided to help guide your own development of a case study.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
This lesson is one week in length. Please refer to the Course Calendar in Canvas for specific time frames and due dates. To finish this lesson, you must complete the activities listed below.
Requirements | Assignment Details | Access/Directions |
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To Watch |
Watch/Read through the Lecture 10.1 – Water and Wetlands Law & Policy PowerPoint File. |
Registered students can access the Microsoft PowerPoint files under Lesson 10 in Canvas. |
To Read |
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To Do |
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If you have any questions, please post them to our Questions? discussion forum located under Orientation and Resources in Canvas. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.
Credits: GEOG 431 Lesson 10 – Conflicts over water. Authored by Robert P. Brooks, Jason Pollack, and Jenna Thomas, Ph.D., Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, 2014. Material adapted from the text, references cited, and information gleaned from the websites listed.
…half of the world's population will probably be living in areas that suffer from severe shortages of fresh water, meaning that management of natural resources will be a crucial component of global national security efforts.
Thom Shanker,
New York Times, 12-10-2012,
article about 2012 report by the U.S. National Intelligence Council with prediction for 2030
Water conflicts are widespread, and as climate changes further impact freshwater resources and human populations place increasing demands on water use, conflicts are expected to increase and expand. Water conflicts involve disputes over access to water resources by nations, states, or groups of people. Chapter 11 of the text describes four types of water conflict: consumptive use, pollution, relative distribution, and absolute distribution. Examples of each are provided in the text. In addition, two case studies (one affecting transboundary conditions of the Nile and one about the Amazon concerning indigenous people in Brazil) are provided as examples of how to proceed with your own review of a water conflict for Assignment 10.1.
This portion of Chapter 11 addresses some aspects of water governance. Consider the type of conflict that you will address in your assignment. (This chapter was asignment in Lesson 9, so it should just be a review)
Holden (2020) – Tongper and Barua, Chapter 11 Water conflict, law and governance (p.382-404)
Here is one of two examples of conflict over water to consider in your choice of a case study.
Case Study #1 – Conflict over the Nile River (Registered students can access the case study under Lesson 10 in Canvas.)
Here is the second of two examples of conflict over water to consider in your choice of a case study.
Case Study #2 – Brazil's Belo Monte Dam Project (Registered students can access the case study under Lesson 10 in Canvas.)
Peruse this list of possible conflicts over water, and choose a case study for your assignment (or find a comparable example from other sources).
Pacific Institute's - The World's Water - Water Conflict Chronology [1]
Sultana, F. and A. Loftus. 2015. The human right to water
Your assignment for Lesson 10 is to write a 2-page essay (3-page maximum) suggesting possible solutions to a case study about water conflicts. You can select a water conflict from any source, but the Pacific Institute's - The World's Water - Water Conflict Chronology [1] has an extensive list from which to choose. Another good source is the Environmental Justice Atlas [2]. Describe and analyze the conflict and determine the environmental impacts, people involved in the conflict, role of governments, and any positives that have resulted from the conflict. Also provide at least one possible solution to the conflict.
Note: If you use the The World's Water - Water Conflict Chronology [1], do NOT choose a "weapon" or "casualty" type of water conflict. These are not really water conflicts; they're just conflicts that involve water in an indirect way and are not ideal for this assignment.
Please submit your paper using the Assignment 10.1 - Water Conflict Essay drop box under Lesson 10 in Canvas. (See the Calendar in Canvas for specific due dates.)
The following rubric will be used to score your assignment.
Description | Full points | Partial points | No points | Points total |
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Case study | Discussed all topics: type of conflict, environmental impacts, people involved in the conflict, role of governments, any positives outcomes, and potential solution(s). | Does not discuss 1-2 topics: type of conflict, environmental impacts, people involved in the conflict, role of governments, or any positives outcomes. | Does not discuss 3+ topics: type of conflict, environmental impacts, people involved in the conflict, role of governments, or any positives outcomes. | 5 |
Content | Great overview. Narrative is detailed and demonstrates that the content was well researched. | Good overview. However, details are vague and narrative could be expanded to include more content. | Content is brief and lacks detail. Does not demonstrate an understanding of the water conflict. | 15 |
College-level writing | No grammar or spelling mistakes. Content is organized well. | 2-3 grammar or spelling mistakes. Flow and organization of content could be improved. | 3+ grammar or spelling mistakes. Content does not flow and is unorganized. | 5 |
Citations | Included complete works cited page. All information is in the student’s own words and appropriately cited. | Works cited page is incomplete. Some information is not written in the student’s own words. | No primary sources included. Works cited page is incomplete or missing. Most information is not written in the student’s own words. | 5 |
As you can see from the readings and your investigation of a water conflict, societies have argued and fought over access to water resources since civilization began, and probably before that time. Usually, in places where water availability is most threatened by arid conditions, conflicts are most intense, but not always. There are plenty of examples of conflict from temperate and tropical regions as well, where water availability is not the issue. As environmental conditions shift based on the predictions for climate change, the expectations are that conflicts over water will flare up more often and perhaps with more intensity. The United Nations is concerned, as are the military and national security planners in many nations. The goal, of course, is to decrease the number and extent of these conflicts by seeking reasonable solutions for all parties, and to sustainable freshwater supplies for all involved, such that human health and survival, plus ecological integrity, is maintained indefinitely.
You have reached the end of Lesson 10! Double check the to-do list on the Lesson 10 Overview [3] page to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 11.