International Water Event Database

events database

The International Water Events Database is a searchable database documenting over 6400 historical international water relations from 1948 to 2008. Events in the database concern water as a scarce or consumable resource or as a quantity to be managed.  The Events are sourced from various news articles and are coded according to country interactions.

 The database contains information on the basins and countries involved, date occurred, issue area, Water Event Intensity Scale rating, and a detailed summary of the event.  The Events Database is available in two formats:

The events are scored with the Water Event Intensity Scale Rating, which was developed as part of the Basins at Risk Project. For more information about the methodology of the database, see the Basins at Risk project page.

Database

Basin at Risk Scale (Water Event Intensity Scale)

  • -7:Formal Declaration of War
  • -6: Extensive War Acts causing deaths, dislocation or high strategic cost
  • -5: Small scale military acts
  • -4: Political-military hostile actions
  • -3: Diplomatic-economic hostile actions
  • -2: strong verbal expressions displaying hostility in interaction
  • -1: mild verbal expressions displaying discord in interaction
  • 0: Neutral or non-significant acts for the inter-nation situation
  • 1: Minor official exchanges, talks or policy expressions-mild verbal support
  • 2: Official verbal support of goals, values, or regime
  • 3: Cultural or scientific agreement or support (non-strategic)
  • 4: Non-military economic, technological or industrial agreement
  • 5: Military economic or strategic support
  • 6: International Freshwater Treaty; Major strategic alliance (regional or international)
  • 7: Voluntary unification into one nation

This database is a work in progress, and we welcome comments and additional entries. Please contact us with comments or with new entries.

chart of water events