54 mins, 2008
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Water is becoming increasingly scarce. Scientists believe 50% of nations will be hit by water shortages by 2025. Many people think wars will result. The following films look at water problems across the world.
INDIA: Sewage and pollution have made the river Ganges one of the most dangerous rivers in the world. Since the 1980s campaigners have been lobbying to stop the flow of filth into the river. Electric-powered treatment plants have been brought in to purify the sewage - but these work only intermittently.
Meanwhile India's capital Delhi is having its own water crisis. Some parts of the city enjoy water in abundance, in others people are dependent on tankers bringing water to their area. Children are being killed in the daily scrabble for clean water.
AFRICA: The delta of the Okavango river is a miracle of nature - a vast oasis bringing life to the desert sands of the Kalahari. It's also a precious source of water in drought-hit southern Africa - but Namibia and Botswana are in conflict over who can use it.
The indigenous inhabitants of the delta believe their livelihoods are under threat as Namibia draw up plans for a pipeline to draw water from the river. Tourism, too, is threatened by the water shortage. All hopes are pinned on a special commission formed by the countries in the region.
MIDDLE EAST: The much-revered river Jordan meanders through the cradle of civilisation to the lowest place on earth. But now agricultural development has turned parts of the once pristine river into a putrid trickle.
Only ten per cent of the river makes it to the Dead Sea which is itself disappearing at a frightening rate. The economy of the region depends on these waters. Only co-operation between Palestine, Israel, Syria and Jordan can save the river.
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