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Water has been associated with conflicts between several neighbouring countries. In Africa, Central Asia, West Asia and the Americas, some countries are arguing fiercely over access to rivers and inland seas, and confrontations could arise as water shortages grow (Gleick, 2000). Countries currently or potentially involved in international disputes over access to river water and aquifers include:
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Freshwater ecosystem alterations have been carried out by man through much of modern history, with the intensity of modifications increasing in the early to mid-1900s. Common waterway modifications - such as the construction of dams and irrigation channels, inter-basin connections and water transfers - can impact on the hydrology of freshwater systems, disconnect rivers from floodplains and wetlands, and decrease water velocity in riverine systems. This, in turn, can affect the seasonal flow and sediment transport of rivers downstream, impacting on fish migrations and changing the composition of riparian ecosystems. Exotic species often thrive at the expense of indigenous ones, leading to an unquantifiable loss in freshwater biodiversity and inland fishery resources (Revenga et al., 2000). |
