When the Rivers Run Dry

Just finished my first book while with the Peace Corps. When the Rivers Run Dry, written by Fred Pearce is a good read as it delves into the importance of sustainable water supply. Pearce's writing takes a bit to get used to but he discusses the absurdity of steps countries are taking to secure water and how they abuse their resources as well as piping it thousands of miles for irrigation in arid conditions. Also discussed in the book are the politics of water and some of the first water wars. Another interesting point is how the effort to contain or damn water sources has often come back to amplify the destruction of floods - the very purpose they were built to alleviate. Definitely a must read as in the next half century the populations of where water is in great need - the Middle East, India and China - are geared to explode.