* Former leaders urge U.N. to make water top concern
* Chretien says scarcity will lead to conflict
* Greatest growth in demand seen in China, the United
States, India
By Alister Doyle
OSLO, Sept 10 (Reuters) – The world needs to find the
equivalent of the flow of 20 Nile rivers by 2025 to grow enough
food to feed a rising population and help avoid conflicts over
water scarcity, a group of former leaders said on Monday.
Factors such as climate change would strain freshwater
supplies and nations including China and India were likely to
face shortages within two decades, they said, calling on the
U.N. Security Council to get more involved.
“The future political impact of water scarcity may be
devastating,” former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said
of a study issued by a group of 40 former leaders he co-chairs
including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.
“It will lead to some conflicts,” Chretien told reporters on
a telephone conference call, highlighting tensions such as in
the Middle East over the Jordan River.
The study, by the InterAction Council of former leaders,
said the U.N. Security Council should make water the top
concern. Until now, the Security Council has treated water as a
factor in other crises, such as Sudan or the impact of global
warming.
Continued…
