Violence erupts when Karnataka, India rejects an Interim Order handed down by the Kaveri Waters Tribunal, set up by the Indian Supreme Court. The Tribunal was established in 1990 to settle two decades of dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over irrigation rights to the Kaveri River.
More than 100 are dead and scores injured following two weeks of tribal fighting in Parachinar in the Kurram region of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. The conflict over irrigation water began as the Shalozan Tangi tribe cut off supplies to the Shalozan tribe. Some report that al Qaeda may be involved; others claim sectarian violence is to blame as one group is Sunni Muslim and the other Shiite.
Three people die and 20 are injured in December 1999 in Falla, Gujarat when the police open fire on 300 people protesting against the state government’s decision to reserve water from the nearby Kankavati Dam for Jamnagar a neighboring town. The dam had become the only source of water for about 60 villages near Falla, and shortages and overdraft of groundwater contribute to a water crisis.
The Kajaki Dam has been the scene of major fighting between Taliban and NATO forces, mainly British and Dutch. The Taliban is attempting to make it impossible to work on reconstruction of the dam and power lines to boost output.
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.
An acute water shortage in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India leads to fights among locals and one death. The government expresses concern about large-scale public unrest due to a severe drought and major water shortages.
A water dispute in Pakistan’s tribal region leads to 116 deaths. In early September, the Mangal tribe cut off the supply of irrigation water to lands used by the neighboring Tori tribe, leading to fighting.
Violent conflicts break out over water resources in the villages Burna Legan and Taina Legan, and in other parts of the region, as drought depleted local resources.
Armed guards and farmers clash over access to water from Jamunia River at the Bari Ghat Dam in the drought-struck region of Bundelkhand.
Police clash with hundreds of Mumbai residents protesting water cuts. One man is killed and a dozen others injured. Mumbai authorities are forced to ration supplies after the worst monsoon season in decades.