Where water conflicts pose the biggest threat in 2026

EXPLAINERWater-related conflicts have nearly quadrupled since 2020. As World Water Week begins, Al Jazeera unpacks the data.The sharp rise in water-related conflicts in recent years is in focus as the World Water Week conference begins on Sunday in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, and online.With the theme “Water for People and Progress”, the conference is organised annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and highlights growing global water-security challenges.According to the Pacific Institute, a US-based nonprofit water think tank, 420 water-related conflicts were recorded in 2024 – a record high and a 78 percent increase from the 235 conflicts recorded in 2022.The increase is largely driven by attacks on water infrastructure and disputes over access, particularly in regions affected by prolonged wars.For more than three decades, the Pacific Institute has tracked global water conflicts through its Water Conflict Chronology, classifying each incident by whether water served as a casualty, trigger, or weapon of war. Casualty: Water infrastructure is damaged or destroyed during conflict, either deliberately or as collateral damage. This can include dams, pipelines...