Erdogan Says Water to Become Most Strategic Resource

(MENAFN) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the global struggle for oil and fossil fuels over the past century will increasingly shift toward water, as competition for resources intensifies.

Speaking at the inauguration of new facilities constructed by the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, Erdogan highlighted factors such as climate change, drought, population growth, urbanization, and industrialization as mounting pressures on water supplies.

He noted that while 2.2 billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water, projections from the World Water Development Report suggest that by 2050, around six billion people could face insufficient clean water.

“In a century where competition for power is intensifying across all sectors, water remains the most strategic and valuable resource as a key component of production and energy,” Erdogan said, emphasizing the resource’s central role in future global dynamics.

The president added that the signs of this struggle are already visible in regional armed conflicts. He further stressed that only 2.5% of the world’s total water supply is freshwater, while global population has grown from three billion in 1960 to over eight billion today, with rainfall levels remaining largely unchanged.

Erdogan concluded by warning that as the demand for clean water grows, these vital resources are rapidly diminishing due to overuse and pollution.

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