Out of water : from abundance to scarcity and how to solve the world's water problems /

Chartres and Varma (Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka) explore the water scarcity crisis around the world. Case studies on the Jordan River in the Middle East, the Murray-Darling basin in Australia, the Colorado River in the US, and groundwater extraction in South Asia sketch the dimensions of the crisis. They describe the demands on existing supplies from population growth, dietary changes, biofuel production, urbanization, and globalization. Agriculture must expand food production for growing populations, satisfy the demand for high-protein diets, and address poverty within the agricultural sector. The authors advise that governments should make water allocation more efficient and seek an equitable balance among all stakeholders. Public water management institutions need to protect the environment, yet this is difficult since water can exist as both a private and a public good. Solutions include greater emphasis on water management, greater value on the environment, new water efficiencies in agriculture, and new strategies to manage urban demand. The authors' brief discussion on the privatization, centralization, and the use of microeconomic tools in the allocation of water should be expanded, illustrated with case studies, and related to the process of underdevelopment and poverty in both water-rich and water-scarce regions. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and all levels of undergraduate students. B. F. Hope California State University, Chico

Chartres, former Chief Science Advisor to the Australian National Water Commission and the current Director General of the International Water Management Institute, argues, along with his Executive Officer Varma, that population growth, economic development (especially with increased use of biofuels), increasing urbanization, and climate control will lead to a severe global water crisis and food shortage "unless we manage our water resources better than we have in the past." After a detailed review of the global situation, the authors offer an in-depth look at water management in Australia, Jordan, South Asia, and the American Southwest, revealing that in most countries today, ensuring a safe drinking water supply and managing sanitation issues are treated separately from agricultural water use and pollution problems. They propose a solution of integrated water planning and holistic "water governance and management. across all sectors of the economy and environment" that would entail recycling and reusing waste water, for drinking as well as agricultural use, and close monitoring of ground water consumption. A detailed, comprehensive tract, targeted at policy-makers and planners rather than a general readership. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.