What is water security ?
Various definitions of water security have evolved over the past two decades , from one that is mainly people-centred, to one that highlights both its productive/destructive potential and the role of ecosystems. The term water insecurity, on the other hand, has been generally linked to water stress and more simply defined as the lack of safe, reliable, sufficient and affordable water for a prosperous life (Stoler et al., 2022)
None of these definitions directly associate water security with national security, with the possible exception of the one proposed by UN-Water (2013), which adds “in a climate of peace and political stability” as a contextual element. The concept of ‘water security’ is first and foremost one of social security (ensuring communities’ and individuals’ Access to water). In reality, however, water – and, by abstraction, water security – can be a highly geopolitical issue and, indeed, a determining factor in the prosperity and peaceful existence of communities, countries and regions.
Water security: Previous definitions
“… every person has access to enough safe water at affordable cost(s) to lead a clean, healthy and productive life, while ensuring that the environment is protected and enhanced.” (GWP, 2000, p. 12).
“… the availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, ecosystems, and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water-related risks to people, environments and economies.” (Grey and Sadoff, 2007, p. 545).
“… the capacity of a population to safeguard access to adequate quantities of water of an acceptable quality for sustaining human and ecosystem health on a watershed basis, and to ensure efficient protection of life and property against water-related hazards [such as] floods, landslides, land subsidence, and droughts.”
(UNESCO, 2012, p. 7).
“… the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of and acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socioeconomic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.”
(UN-Water, 2013, p. 1).
Source: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 Water for prosperity and peace
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What is water security ?
Various definitions of water security have evolved over the past two decades , from one that is mainly people-centred, to one that highlights both its productive/destructive potential and the role of ecosystems. The term water insecurity, on the other hand, has been generally linked to water stress and more simply defined as the lack of safe, reliable, sufficient and affordable water for a prosperous life (Stoler et al., 2022)
None of these definitions directly associate water security with national security, with the possible exception of the one proposed by UN-Water (2013), which adds “in a climate of peace and political stability” as a contextual element. The concept of ‘water security’ is first and foremost one of social security (ensuring communities’ and individuals’ Access to water). In reality, however, water – and, by abstraction, water security – can be a highly geopolitical issue and, indeed, a determining factor in the prosperity and peaceful existence of communities, countries and regions.
Water security: Previous definitions
“… every person has access to enough safe water at affordable cost(s) to lead a clean, healthy and productive life, while ensuring that the environment is protected and enhanced.” (GWP, 2000, p. 12).
“… the availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, ecosystems, and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water-related risks to people, environments and economies.” (Grey and Sadoff, 2007, p. 545).
“… the capacity of a population to safeguard access to adequate quantities of water of an acceptable quality for sustaining human and ecosystem health on a watershed basis, and to ensure efficient protection of life and property against water-related hazards [such as] floods, landslides, land subsidence, and droughts.”
(UNESCO, 2012, p. 7).
“… the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of and acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socioeconomic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.”
(UN-Water, 2013, p. 1).
Source: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 Water for prosperity and peace
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