Destroying water facilities now a weapon of war

July 21, 2026

In Julian Cribb’s comprehensive but deeply depressing article about water, he might have elaborated on the destruction of water facilities as a weapon of war. The US, for instance, has just bombed a desalination plant in coastal southeastern Iran, leaving 10,000 people with an acute water shortage. Given the already dire state of water availability in that country, Trump has delivered a particularly hard blow. It is not humane, but certainly effective in a purely military sense. It is believed that 30,000 people died in riots prior to the war with the US, and much of it had to do with the regime’s mismanagement of the country’s limited water supplies. To accommodate an ever-expanding population, high-rise apartments have been built but, because of low water pressure, water is not reaching the upper floors. Despite 71 (now 70) desalination plants in the country, water is sent to industry and not to agriculture. Desalination plants require a significant amount of electricity to run them, and this has affected Iran’s energy sovereignty. Climate change will only make the situation worse. Droughts will become longer and more severe. By 2050, half the population will face acute water shortages. Mass emigration is on the cards.