Water Resource Management: A Comparative Perspective [Hardcover]

According to available estimates, only .3% of the total fresh water is usable for the world's entire human and animal populations. Some experts have observed that in the near future, the earth will face severe scarcity of water, resulting in an insufficient amount of water to sustain our ever increasing future needs. Others believe that such pessimistic estimates are unwarranted.

Due to conflicting opinions and data-interpretations, the future levels of scarcity are difficult to accurately forecast. One fact, however, is above controversy: water resources are not evenly distributed. The world's 38 poorest countries are located near areas that lack ample water supplies. Even some areas, which seem to possess sufficient supplies, suffer zonal or regional shortages. In recent years there has been an increasing realization not only of the importance of water as a key factor for sustainable development, but also the impending strategies for water in the near future. The chapters in this collection examine this critical resource and the policies being pursued to meet the challenge of decreasing access to usable water by selected countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. A major study for students, researchers, and policymakers involved with environmental and development issues.

Preface
Introduction by Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi
Water and the Current Development Orthodoxy: World Bank Policy under the Spotlight by Caroline Thomas and Peter Clegg
Management and Utilization of Water Resources in the People's Republic of China by Ouyang Kang and Li Yong
Water Resource Management: The Case of the Three Gorges Project in China by George P. Jan
Water Resource Management in Brazil by Peter Calvert anlÓ!