In the earliest days of the IS-Israeli destruction raids on Iran, a dangerous precedent was set when a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island which supplies water in 30 villages was attacked and damaged. The implications of future attacks and retaliations on water availability in the region are huge given that Gulf countriesalone reported 172 water desalination stations in 2018, with Oman accounting for the most (65 stations), followed by Saudi Arabia (44), the UAE (40), Qatar (9), Kuwait (8) and Bahrain (6), as per the database available on the GCC Statistical Centre’s portal. This does not include those created since or those of Iran itself though we do know that water shortages in the capital Tehran existed before these attacks.
Flooding as a consequence of climate change has become a “new norm”, from Hawaii to Kenya and Ethiopia where hundreds have died, Most of the casualties were in highland areas, where saturated slopes gave way after days of intense rain. Now Gulf states with their desalination plants are experiencing the same: floods in theUAE cities of Ajman,and Ras Al Khaimah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
There are widespread and longstanding failures in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s (TDCJ) provision of safe drinking water to those incarcerated in state prisons. People are forced to drink and bathe with water they describe as over-chlorinated, slimy, and foul-smelling. The only source of water within most of their cells is a small sink that sits atop a toilet. This water is used for drinking, bathing, cooking, and keeping cool from the intense spring and summer heat. A variety of sicknesses are and have been the consequence.
In South Africa from the leafy suburbs of North Johannesburg to the township of drinking water shortages have seen municipalities give out contracts for water to be delivered to residents. There are accusations that those some of those who win the contracts are forcing residents to pay for the water. This is quite likely to have happened but blaming deep-seated problems on criminals gas become well-known tactic for not dealing with why they should have such opportunity for taking advantage.