Water may soon become a strategic resource, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The publication notes that the progressive shortage of drinking water sources has caused a dangerous phenomenon - water migrants: in just one year, over 20 million people in the world have left their homes.

"I can give numerous examples where water shortages have led to armed conflicts and wars between neighboring states," Patrushev said.

"In the last decade, conflicts and crises for this reason have been growing in 46 countries, where 2.7 billion people live. The most conflict-ridden regions in this regard are the Near and Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa," the Security Council Secretary said.

The newspaper notes that according to the forecast of Russian scientists, between 2035 and 2045 the volume of fresh water consumed by humanity will equal its resources, but the global water crisis may occur even earlier.

"This is due to the fact that the main water reserves are concentrated in only a few countries. These include, in particular, Brazil, Canada and, of course, Russia. Naturally, in these countries, far from all the water will be used even by 2045, its reserves are too large. But for many other countries, the water problem may arise tomorrow," writes Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

In Russia, the problem is not with water resources, but with their use, which already creates a real threat to the country's national security, the publication notes. The threat of a shortage of water resources is also mentioned in the National Security Strategy until 2020.

According to Patrushev, in 2009, only 38% of Russian settlements were provided with drinking water that met safety requirements, and another 9% received poor-quality drinking water. At the same time, in more than half of the cities and villages, the drinking water was not tested at all, and no one knows how harmful it is to health.

The publication cites UN data, according to which about 700 million people in 43 countries are constantly in conditions of "water stress" and deficit. About one sixth of the world's population does not have access to clean drinking water, and one third - to water for domestic needs.

Patrushev: Water may become a strategic resource in the near future