The Future of Water, Part 1: The Waterlords

The first in a three-part series, The Waterlords examines the efforts to control water in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe (Spain and Norway), as Dr. Terje Tvedt visits 25 countries to look at and various water issues (demand, shortage, etc.), as well as governmental attempts at conservation and redistribution, which have led to destabilizing political and social conflicts—ultimately concluding that political power in the future may depend upon control over waterways and sources of water. Tvedt places each country's water needs and consumption in historical, political, and social context, predicting that further conflicts are inevitable with population growth and declines in rainfall due to climate changes. In Johannesburg, South Africa, Tvedt finds protests and riots tied to water access, while ongoing conflict in Spain between water-deficient southwestern regions and northern areas force the government to make compromises. Since half of the world's population lives downstream from Tibet (through which major Asian rivers flow), China's attempts to redirect Tibetan water will definitely impact a number of Asian countries that could become dependent upon China for access to water. Noting the explosive growth in the bottled water industry, Tvedt points out that fresh, clean water has become a status symbol (although a lot of bottled water is simply tap water), while 6,000 people worldwide (primarily children) die each day for lack of safe drinking water. Like Flow (VL-3/09), Waterlords offers a dire picture of increasing turbulence over the control of life-sustaining water. The other two programs in the series are: The New Uncertainty and The Water Age (series price: $525). Recommended for larger collections. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)