Rivers at risk - Water crisis on four continents | DW Documentary

Water is scarce, but global demand continues to rise. Humanity is facing serious disputes over our most important resource. What impact is our lifestyle having on our planet's water cycles?

Along six rivers on four continents, the documentary explores the question of why this vital resource, water, is becoming increasingly scarce - and who’s responsible. 70 per cent of fresh water is used in agriculture. And a large proportion of this goes into the production of animal feed. Our excessive meat consumption is partly to blame for the fact that mighty rivers such as the Spanish Ebro or the Colorado in the USA and Mexico are drying up. Factory farming businesses are worth billions to major agricultural companies, but this overuse of water often goes hand in hand with its pollution. Europe has outsourced its dirtiest industries to countries such as India. Around 20 per cent of global water pollution is caused by the textile industry. The film provides rare insights into Indian factories and life in the places where contaminants are discharged.

But it’s not all bad news. In the film, we also meet people who’ve come up with solutions. In France, dams are dismantled to revitalize rivers; in an Egyptian oasis the inhabitants experiment with hydroponics; and in India, an individual known as the "water man” uses a millennia-old technique to coax rivers from deserts that dried up decades ago.

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