Protesters take to the streets in the center of Dhaka and more than 50 are injured in clashes over the potential ecological impacts of a proposed coal plant on aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. These actions follow on protests from 2016.
Attacks to the city of Farah in the western region of Afghanistan in early 2018 by the Taliban may, in part, be supported by Iran in an attempt to reduce Afghanistan’s ability to pursue water dam infrastructure projects. Experts disagree to the amount of support given to Taliban militants by Iran, but water projects in Afghanistan’s western region are indisputably a point of contention between the two nations.
A farmer reports losing sight in one eye and wounds from a pellet gun from a clash with police ignited by a strike over lack of water in Varzaneh, Iran.
India releases water from a dam on the River Sutlej, causing moderate flooding downstream in Pakistan. India claims that the release is a “routine exercise” during monsoon season. The release and resultant flooding are seen as an act of war by Pakistan. This incident adds to the already strained relations between the two countries which have been at odds since February 2019 when 40 Indian parliamentary police were killed by a suicide bomb in Kashmir.
Ongoing protests against lack of water, mismanagement, and corruption around water are led by residents in small towns in western Iran. These protests gain more media attention as tensions escalate over time and may be linked to demonstrations from late 2017 and early 2018 that lead to the death of dozens of people. In 2018, at least nine environmental leaders are arrested, and one jailed environmentalist dies of alleged suicide.
Lack of water in cities across India — due to drought, growing populations, and inadequate infrastructure — leads to high tensions, resulting in at least two deaths when a fight breaks out between residents waiting in line at a water truck. Those working for the water companies with the responsibility of turning different water lines on and off, called “key men,” are increasingly harassed by residents wanting to persuade them to keep their water on.
Water shortages in the southern part of Iran have caused protests, which turned violent with attacks on property and other infrastructure. Police action to break up the protests lead to several injuries and deaths.
In Tamil Nadu, India, a 33 year old man dies as the result of a fight that broke out over water. India is experiencing a heat wave with temperatures reaching higher than 50 degrees C/120 degrees F.
In Ranchi, India, one man stabs six other people due to water shortages. India is experiencing a heat wave with temperatures reaching higher than 50 degrees C/120 degrees F.
An attack by a Pakistan-based group that killed at least 40 Indian soldiers has worsened tensions between the two countries, prompting Indian leaders to threaten to curtail water deliveries from rivers flowing into Pakistan. Curtailment of water deliveries could undermine the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which stipulates the sharing of water resources between the two countries.