In Algeria, water shortages left faucets dry, prompting protesters to riot and set tires ablaze. In Gaza, as people waited for water at a community tap, an Israeli drone fired on them, killing eight. In Ukraine, Russian rockets slammed into the country’s largest dam, unleashing a plume of fire over the hydroelectric plant and causing widespread blackouts. These are some of the 420 water-related conflicts researchers documented for 2024 in the latest update of the [Oakland-based] Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology, a global database of water-related violence. The year featured a record number of violent incidents over water around the world, far surpassing the 355 in 2023, continuing a steeply rising trend.