Introduction: Water Crisis

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the water crisis and a discussion of the early approaches to studies about water. Beginning with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and particularly the discussions about the communities that were affected by the lack of access to clean water, it draws attention to three main issues that are important for this book. First, among the environmental specters confronting humanity in the twenty-first century, shortage of water is at the top of the list. Providing details of the estimates of water availability and uses allows the reader to see the broader landscape of concerns with water, providing an overview of the world’s water resources. I incorporate details from reports about the water crisis by the United Nations, the World Resources Institute and the World Bank among others. Second, the water crisis and particularly access to and control over water resources spans across the developed and developing world. Third, those most affected by the shifts in the control over water resources and the privatization of water supply mechanisms are the marginalized and the poor. This chapter also includes an overview of the remaining chapters of the book.