Where water conflicts pose the biggest threat in 2026

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that water-related conflicts have risen sharply in recent years, with the issue taking center stage as World Water Week 2026 opens in Stockholm and online. The conference, organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, is focused this year on “Water for People and Progress” and is highlighting mounting water-security risks tied to war, scarcity and damaged infrastructure.

Citing data from the Pacific Institute, Al Jazeera says 420 water-related conflicts were recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022 and described as a record high. The article groups these incidents into cases where water infrastructure is damaged in conflict, where water scarcity helps trigger violence, and where water itself is used as a weapon. It says attacks on infrastructure were the largest category in 2024.

The report points to several places where water conflict is especially severe in 2026. In Gaza and the occupied West Bank, damage to wells, pipelines and sanitation systems has worsened shortages for Palestinians. In Sudan, war has devastated water networks and intensified disease and famine risks. In Iran, strikes have strained already fragile supplies amid drought and depleted reservoirs. Ukraine is also facing disruption to water and power systems from the war with Russia.

The broader significance, Al Jazeera says, is that water has become both a humanitarian issue and a security concern, with climate stress, war damage and competition over scarce supplies increasingly overlapping.