Settlement of International Groundwater Disputes

Abstract

As a source of humanity's existence and development in its broadest meaning, groundwater is regarded as one of the most significant freshwater supplies, particularly during climate changes that have a detrimental impact on surface water, which is rapidly running out. However, dangers on Earth threaten the sustainability of this essential resource, partly because it is challenging to manage groundwater that crosses national borders, especially considering how difficult it is to regulate and control its movement. This study discusses the international conflict over shared waters and the consequence of underground water as a natural resource shared by many countries regarding the nature of the dispute and strategies for achieving a peaceful resolution. The study follows the inductive approach; It enables the identification of the regulations that apply to international water issues and methods for understanding, evaluating, and interpreting them in a way that supports international peace and collaboration. The fundamental conclusion of the research was that to address the previous reality of groundwater, authorities in those nations, particularly those whose geographic locations are defined by dry or semi-arid climatic characteristics, like the Arabian Gulf region, must endeavor to achieve a balance of groundwater resources; this is because groundwater is seen as an essential component of many development sectors, including agriculture, industry, and energy, necessitating efforts to reconcile the demands of these sectors with the groundwater reserve.