THE HUMAN BODY is up to 60 per cent water. Water is not just a resource, it is a lifeline. Agriculture, economics and our survival all depend on it; So what happens when water runs out?

While we are gripped by global conflict, a lethal crisis is developing with potentially irreversible consequences. The world is rapidly depleting its natural water resources, with three-quarters of the world’s population living in countries classified as water-insecure or critically water-insecure.

The Middle East is the most water stressed region on the planet; 83 per cent of its population is exposed to extremely high water stress, a figure that is expected to reach 100 per cent by 2050. Research shows that conflict can amplify existing risks associated with water scarcity and transform them into larger security emergencies that can lead to mass displacement.

There are five major conflict zones in the Middle East, all of which are escalating: Iran, Gaza, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. Israel is the only country involved in all five conflicts, dropping countless thousands of munitions on Iran in the last few weeks, and is the only nation in the Middle East expanding beyond its borders through occupations and invasions.

The scale of what is unfolding in the Middle East has beenobscured by media bans, internet blackouts and the absence of independent observers in many circumstances, but what we do know is that tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in violent conflict in the last 12 months alone, while hundreds of thousands will have died in excess deaths due to attacks on healthcare infrastructure, leading to infectious diseases and treatable conditions becoming fatal.

What is perhaps most disturbing is how........

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