Redefining Water Violence: Identifying themes, factors and causes of water violence

'Water conflict' is a well-used term that describes a variety of situations associated with disagreements related to water. However, although current categorisation is strong, it does exclude occurrences that are significant and includes others which arguably are not. Moving away from the restrictions of the academic definition of conflict and expanding the concept into water related violence instead, allows for further exploration into factors, themes, and links beyond the current groupings, which will be beneficial for ongoing research into water violence.
Understanding causes and identifying themes between instances of water violence could be used as a mechanism to assist with prevention as well as management of water violence - for example, if gender was identified as a key theme, policy or methods could be adapted to incorporate this into IWRM schemes to reduce water violence.
Currently, it is not clear if there are there are common factors and themes in water violence beyond Gleick's grouping of weapon, trigger, casualty. A systematic literature review should be able to further identify themes and factors and create further categorisation. Once identified, small-scale case studies could be used to 'test' the categories. A systematic review also allows for easier comparison between the literature and can identify and potentially negate bias in primary research, as well as ascertaining both themes and anomalies.
The resulting research should provide greater understanding of causes and factors of 'water violence', that could be used by other academics to conduct further research, professionals to adapt IWRM programmes and governments to guide policy to make water services resilient against water violence.

Water-WISER will train a cohort of 50 British research engineers and scientists and equip them to work in challenging environments both in the low-income settings of rapidly growing poor cities and in the changing urban environment of the UK, Europe and other regions with a historic endowment of aging infrastructure. The vision is for a generation of engineers with the skills to deliver the trans-disciplinary innovations needed to ensure that future water, waste and sanitation infrastructure is resilient to the stresses posed by rapid urbanisation, global climate change and increasingly extreme natural and man-made disasters. Our alumni will address the urgent need to re-imagine urban spaces as net contributors to ecological and environmental well-being rather than being net users of vital resources such as energy, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon. These new leaders will be an essential resource if the UK is to deliver on its commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 which calls for universal access to safely managed water and sanitation services, within planetary and local ecological boundaries. This next generation of research engineers will enable UK-based engineering consultancies, manufacturers, and utility companies to grow their share of the expanding global market for water and waste services, for example; in the water services industry from 3% to 10% (an increase of £33 billion per annum) by 2030, and attract significant inward investment.
The research which Water-WISER cohorts enable will form the basis of new innovations in the design and delivery of resilient infrastructure and services. Innovations developed by Water-WISER graduates will inform how growing cities are designed and built in the global south and will be used to inform the re-engineering and replacement of the aging infrastructure on which the UK's water and waste services are currently reliant. Our alumni will form the new generation of leaders who will play a central role in securing a larger share of the international water and waste management consultancy market to UK consultancies. The network of expertise and skills created by Water-WISER will enhance potential for collaborations between major UK players (for example strengthening links between UK consultancy, the Department for International Development, and leading UK water agencies such as WaterAid and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor) and between UK companies and partners in the global south including international investors such as the World Bank, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Graduates of Water-WISER will enter industry, academia and development agencies having spent a substantial period (minimum of six months) embedded in an industry or development partner organisation delivering their field-based research. Water-WISER students will thus gain a unique combination of trans-disciplinary training, field experience and cohort networking; they are destined for leadership roles in UK and international engineering and development consultancies, academia, international development banks, international agencies such as the United Nations and international non-governmental organisations.