There is a huge amount of information online about our water problems, and how people are already hard at work solving them. In this section, you will find descriptions and links to organizations which analyze the challenges we face, and describe the solutions we need.
This list is not in any way intended to be exhaustive, and it is focused on U.S. and United Nations sources.
Water Information & Resources
The links below will take you to external sites that are in no way affiliated with LIMS/Global Water Dances.
Thirst Project
World’s leading youth water activism organization; with dozens of projects to build fresh water wells around the world, including a mission to bring clean water to the entire nation of Swaziland by the year 2022 (as a blueprint to use in other nations).
Practical Action is an international non-governmental organization that uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries. Through technology they enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions – transforming their lives forever and protecting the world around them. One of their areas of focus is urban water, sanitation and waste. Practical Action works with communities to get clean water for drinking, washing, cooking and agriculture – helping to improve sanitation and health.
International World Water Day — sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on March 22 every year. The site includes reports from around the world on local initiatives that may provide inspiration and contacts for Global Water Dance events.
UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2012 — provides further reason for vigilance: resources are neither targeted nor apparently sufficient to sustain routine operation and maintenance of water and sanitation services. Thus, there is a serious risk of slipping backwards on gains already made. The analysis emerging from UN-Water GLAAS also helps to identify the reasons behind the disparities in access to sanitation and drinking-water among different regions, communities and income groups.
The World’s Water Volume 7 — The Pacific Institute has been publishing this highly praised biennial review of the world’s freshwater resources for more than a decade. The Institute’s home page provides links to many other books and studies on freshwater.
Global Water Policy Project — Leading global freshwater expert and author Sandra Postel founded GWPP in 1994. The project fosters ideas and inspiration for redirecting society’s use and management of fresh water toward conservation and ecosystem health. Postel also works on these issues as a fellow of the National Geographic Society, where she is the lead water expert for the for the Society’s Freshwater Initiative.
Worldwatch Institute — Freshwater has been a core issue in Worldwatch’s analyses of global environmental issues since Lester Brown (see below) founded the Institute in 1974. In addition to publications dealing directly with freshwater, the Institute’s researchers have always emphasized the impact of water issues on other issues, like the role of water in the growing production of meat, or the impact of mining tar sands on streams and lakes.
Earth Policy Institute— Lester Brown (see Worldwatch Institute) has continued his pursuit of water issues at EPI, which he founded in 2001. His 2012 book, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, highlights many of the intimate links between the availability of fresh water and food production: more than half the world’s people live in countries where water tables are falling, largely because of over-pumping for irrigation.
Greenpeace Project Clean Water. In the Philippines, there is a community of water advocates and activists working together to increase awareness on the importance of public monitoring/reporting and community “right-to-know” in protecting our freshwater resources from industrial pollution cases. (Submitted by Haydee Illenberger)
Evergreen Environmental: The Unfiltered Truth About Water
This infographic educates people about why protecting and conserving water is important, and it reveals how many every day activities are to blame for water pollution. (Submitted by John at DBS Interactive)
Charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
Case Studies in Bangladesh
A book by Shahid Mallick “River, Culture and Livelihoods: Water Pollution and Social Change Around the River Bangshi, Bangladesh: Water pollution and social change.” Water is key to human survival, development progressions and success. Therefore, one of essential topics is destruction of global fresh water source caused by pollution and other factors of human life activity.
“Industrialization, Water Pollution, and Social Change: A Case of Basin-Based Village in Bangladesh” a journal article on the disposal of untreated industrial waste into the open water body and rivers. Submitted by Shahid Mallick
Our waters: smoking’s impact on oceans, lakes, rivers, and bays – Smoking’s impact extends beyond the human condition, reaching the waters of our planet. Support is needed to maximize resources, to educate, and to bring about awareness. What most of the time goes unnoticed is that the chemicals found in a cigarette are also highly soluble in water, and can saturate a body of water with contaminants.
Smoking’s Impact on the Ocean – Smoking’s impact on the ocean ultimately comes down to the various chemicals used as additives in cigarettes and the additional ones created when a cigarette is combusted. There are around 600 additives used in the manufacture of cigarettes, used for everything from retaining moisture in the tobacco right through to flavoring the smoke to make it more tolerable to smokers. However, most of the chemicals are formed when tobacco is burned, and this leads to a total of around 7,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, with around 69 carcinogens among them, as well as many more toxic chemicals.
Studies have shown that cigarette butts contain many toxic chemicals, including arsenic, nicotine, various heavy metals and a class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are released into the environment from discarded cigarette butts. This is the main reason for smoking’s impact on the oceans.
Dangers of Plastic Pollution to Marine Life – The garbage that humans leave behind as a by-product of civilization and consumption is becoming an environmental hazard not only to the land, but also to the world’s oceans, seas, and waterways. One of the most egregious examples is the millions of tons of disposable plastic that has found its way into our waters. The sheer amount of bottles and caps, jugs, beads, packaging, and other assorted plastic waste, accounts for up to 80% of litter in the ocean. These items are a result of everyday plastic use in homes, schools, and businesses, and they work their way to the world’s oceans by many different routes, including illegal dumped by water-going vessels. It may also flow down rivers or be washed to sea after being dumped on the beaches and coastlines. Heavy rain storms can also carry plastic garbage into the oceans via sewer lines and storm drains. Ocean plastic pollution spreads thousands of miles away beyond land and is extremely dangerous to sea life people alike.
Water and Climate Change information and resources
UN-Water on Water and Climate Change—the start of the United Nations’ research on the relationship between freshwater and climate change.
Water @Climate Institute—good overview from an internationally-based climate change nonprofit.
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Submitted by Anita Dutt.
Fracking information and resources
Fact Sheet on Fracking @Earthjustice — an introduction to fracking from a leading public interest legal group, including state-by-state reviews.
Fracking @SourceWatch–a well-documented review of the development of fracking and its associated environmental problems.
Gasland—Josh Fox’s award-winning documentary on his across-America investigation of fracking.
Arts and Environment information and resources
Water and Politics via the Arts
LinkedIn group for an institution to raise awareness of water issues through the arts. (Submitted by Arash)
Loving Waters is a growing global community of Water advocates providing connection, support, presence and focus for committed water stewards by hosting their website, a monthly conference call, and with a lively social media networking presence.
Narelle Carter-Quinlan is an Australian dance maker, photographer and writer whose work focuses on the felt relationship of the tissues of the body and the experience of Place as embodied visceral encounter. Her images contain codes of consciousness – direct transmissions of knowing and wholeness.
We are looking for good resources about water issues. These can be in any language. If we have left off an organization or a source that you think is important, please email us to info@globalwaterdances.org