Back to the Well: Rethinking the Future of Water

by Marq de Villiers

Droughts, floods, and contamination of fresh water in the American Southwest, in the Great Lakes region, in Australia, in northern China, in the Middle East, and in India have brought the critical issue of water supply to the forefront of public consciousness. In dozens of countries, ordinary citizens have cause to worry about what (or how much) will come out of their taps — if they even have taps — and who will make sure it is available, affordable, and safe.

In this refreshing examination of the fate and future of water, Marq de Villiers takes on some of the biggest questions and shibboleths of the century. Who owns water? is access to water a human right? Who is responsible for keeping water clean and ensuring it gets to the people who need it most? Is privatization of ownership and supply networks an evil or an extension of the public trust?

Fifteen years after the publication of Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource, his influential Governor General's Award-winning book on the water crisis, de Villiers returns with a clear-eyed assessment of the politics of water — from the personal and commercial uses of water to the impact of climate change and global conflicts. Examining how political ideologies often obscure the underlying issues, de Villiers makes the controversial suggestion that there is no global water crisis, but that water problems are fundamentally local and regional and can most effectively be addressed through local, rather than global, action.

Genres: Nonfiction

376 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2015

About the author

Born in South Africa, Marq de Villiers is a veteran Canadian journalist and the author of thirteen books on exploration, history, politics, and travel, including Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource (winner of the Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction). He has worked as a foreign correspondent in Moscow and through Eastern Europe and spent many years as editor and then publisher of Toronto Life magazine. More recently he was editorial director of WHERE Magazines International. He lives in Port Medway, Nova Scotia. [Penguin Canada]

Reviews

[Devin Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad complex view of global water issues. I sought something to fill a gap in my knowledge. I have environmental anxiety about water and it's future. The complex picture Villiers painted revealed many dangers and difficulties of water but largely described them as regional and resolved through better water management, rather than singularly endangered by changes from population growth and climate change.
While generally I felt more optimistic, I question Villiers ideologically. His views seemed moderate and largely open to private/public partnerships which invite conflicts of interest.

[Robert Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Water is vital to our well being and the Author takes us round the World showing how various Countries are adapting to a warming Climate with some really ingenious solutions. In the semi arid region i live in we have had a very unusual warm winter with little or no snow which makes farmers nervous as we rely on snow melt for moisture in Spring.