Technology

If the wars of the 20th century were fought over oil, “the wars of the next century will be fought over water”, said World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin in 1995. Over the intervening 30 years, tensions over water between nations and communities have never gone away, and look set to continue. One flashpoint is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, inaugurated this September. It affects 11 countries, including Egypt and Sudan, which claim it’s a threat to their water security.

In South Africa, civil unrest has broken out in communities that say they have gone without water for extended periods. These are not remote rural areas that are under- or un-provisioned either; it’s urban areas, from Coronationville on the West Rand, to Westbury and Kensington, near the Johannesburg CBD.