Asia, West, Central, and South

West Asia

Relative to other regions in Asia, West Asia has a lower risk of disaster vulnerability. However, in recent years, the region has had its share of disasters, linked chiefly to water and oil geopolitics. As one of the world's most arid regions, nations battle over a water supply challenged by growing industrialization and agricultural demands. One such example is the Jordan River, flowing from Jordan into Syria and ultimately ending in Israel's Dead Sea. The river serves as a lifeblood for these three nations separated by religious and political differences, and in a region where water is highly precious. Over the last 50 years and across major wars between these nations, the Jordan River's flow has dropped by a third of its original levels and imposes potential water disaster in this region. Further, the Israel-Palestinian standoff has complicated the vulnerability and poses a risk for water to [Page 23]Palestinians who do not otherwise have a representative national government at the international level. However, recent agreements between Jordan and Israel, including preserving water ecosystems by way of eco-parks and local grassroots groups, have gathered some momentum. These include the Friends of the Earth Middle East project that has diverted this region from an impending disaster. In the Persian Gulf region of West Asia, oil is the disputed resource. The 1973 Six-Day Arab-Israeli War created a rift between the oil-rich Arab states and Western nations. The oil embargo on the West created an energy disaster where oil prices quadrupled. Recent wars in the region, including the 1991 Gulf War and destruction of Kuwait's refineries, posed a serious threat to energy security and environmental safety in the region. More importantly, the war resulted in the worst oil spill in history—approximately one million gallons of crude oil dumped off the coast of the Persian Gulf, causing permanent damage to the marine ecosystem.

Disaster relief has since included research and development studies by the United States in assessing long-term damage and fostering intergovernmental cooperation to restore the marine ecology. Another key ecological disaster zone includes the northern Persian Gulf along the coast of Iran. In 2007, the Bandar Abbas oil spill along the Strait of Hormuz bordering Iran and Oman was one of the region's worst. Over 800 square kilometers of marine ecosystem were damaged, and 79 dead dolphins washed ashore two months later. In 2009, another oil spill, this time along southeastern Iran, prompted the Iranian government to take active relief measures. However, the shared geopolitical sea around the Persian Gulf and the multinational economic zone poses a challenge to immediate disaster relief in an event of a future oil spill. Overall, West Asia confronts both oil- and water-related disasters on the either side of the Arabian Peninsula. Each scenario can potentially risk the lives and the economic well-being of its citizens.

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