Army battles new enemy...lack of water

WATER, or the lack of it, is likely to decide the outcome of future wars involving the Armed Forces, a report suggests.

- Marco Giannangeli

Ministry of Defence climate change and industry experts have begun to plan how to provide personnel in dry areas with enough water to ensure they achieve mission success.

The latest thinking was outlined in the official journal of the MoD's Defence, Equipment & Support agency (DE&S).

More than a quarter - 26 per cent of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water, while 46 per cent lack access to basic sanitation.

"By 2050, as a result of climate change 3.2 billion people are expected to live in areas with extreme water scarcity," says the DE&S team in its in-house magazine Desider.