One can legitimately ask if water scarcity is going to be a major global problem in the foreseeable future; why has it been basically missing from the international agenda? The reasons are many, and this is an important issue that merits further consideration. The omission of water from the intemational agenda is a very important but a sad fact and one the water profession needs to consider very carefully. While some have glossed over this sad situation like a proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the sand, our profession can no longer ignore this condition, especially when water still accounts for millions of deaths throughout the world each year.
By Asit K. Biswas, 1998. Article published in Ambio, Volume 27, Issue 6, pages 492-493.