Water for the World

Since time began, riverbank and lakeshore people have enjoyed abundant fresh water, although the inlanders have had to search for it in order to sustain life. Even today, the nomads of the Arab world, and the primitive peoples of Africa and Australia still do. The World Health Organization, in December, 1963, stated officially that, 75 countries of the world, only five percent of the urban population is provided with good water. This symposium does not attempt to resolve these problems; it has been organized as a compendium of guideposts to, and indices on, where the problems lie, and how some of them may be approached. It includes the needs and possible solutions of water resource problems in various world regions. Most aspects of the subject of ground water are covered as well as the specialized topics of water flow in tectalinears (cracks), and possible other sources such as desalinization of sea water and chemical cloud seeding. The impounding, treatment, and distribution of surface water in both undeveloped areas and in New York City are also reviewed.