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Saturday, 10 May 2008
Water in the war
Water in the war
The conflict drags on in the Palestinian territories adds the direct and indirect impacts of military activities a general environmental degradation caused by the collapse of administrative structures. The destruction of sewage and water increases the risk of groundwater contamination unprotected, which seriously affect the health of the populations concerned.

Water in health GAZA
Alain Gresh, March 6 this year, stressed that Gaza endure the worst humanitarian situation since 1967. A correspondence Stevan Erlanger published by the New York Times on November 6, 2007 already mentioned the growing risks of a health crisis resulting from lack of maintenance of infrastructure-water treatment and sewage, due to security measures adopted by Israel on the import of energy, pumps, pipes and other spare parts necessary for the proper functioning of the networks in the territories under the control of Hamas.
  
An observation confirmed by an article by Mel Frykberg, published by the Middle East Times on January 2, 2008, which stated, moreover, that the water quality has not been tested for over a year because labs analysis could not import the chemicals needed for testing. Those made by the World Health Organization (WHO) several years ago had yet concluded that water from Gaza is not consumable without serious risks to health.
 
Water in health Iraq
After the first Gulf War, 30% of the water reserves of Kuwait have been unusable for 10 years. There is now among the Kurdish civilian population, in 1987-1988 bombed by chemical and biological agents, rare cancers, birth defects among children, miscarriages, recurrent lung infections, neuro-psychiatric problems serious.
 
The weapons containing depleted uranium, used in conflicts in Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro and Iraq, many still polluted sites.
The Iraqi children have been victims on three occasions conflicts that have affected the region for thirty years. The eight-year war with Iran in 80 years and the Gulf War in 1991.
 

Water

Nearly 700 oil wells had been burned in Kuwait in 1991. The drop in temperature or the poisoning of drinking water caused by the huge fires caused nearly 100 000 dead.The sanitation and water distribution, already badly in point, is almost dilapidated today, leading to the absence or the contamination of water, and thus a greater susceptibility to contracting diarrhea.

An estimated two hundred and sixty-six thousand children born after the war have none of the vaccines necessary and routine immunization services were all disrupted. Besides, the stock of existing vaccines has become unusable due to the interruption of the cold chain. The sewage discharged each day hundreds of tons of untreated sewage in the Tigre and the Euphrates.

"There is no doubt that many displaced families and local live without clean water, partly because of insecurity, and partly because of lack of electricity or infrastructure for water supply. [...] Many families come to illegally exploit pipes, digging wells or to drink water from rivers, "said the same day Ms. Claire Hajaj, responsible for communication to the Iraqi offices of UNICEF.

Natural resources led to armed conflicts
If the environment suffers therefore strongly, and long-term effects of armed conflict, it may also be itself a source of tension and conflict.

The degradation and depletion of resources due to overexploitation and reinforced by growing trends and climate events, generate rivalries between populations on questions of agricultural land, freshwater, forest resources and fisheries. If it is often within countries that such conflicts arise, they also exist at the international level, because the basic resources become more scarce and more contested, all the more so when it add demographic challenges.

But the international community must strive to strengthen the legal means and mechanisms existing environmental protection in wartime. Including the creation of an international criminal jurisdiction specific, because the application of new rules is necessary to minimize health and environmental risks. It will also define the repairs that may be granted to victims, and develop new types of cooperation on environmental issues and access to vital resources.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 July 2008 )
 
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