There is more demand for water, supply is scarce and the solution of the World Bank - privatisation - also causes problems. As large multinationals gain market share they make ability to pay rather than need the criteria for entitlement. Three sections: the crisis, the politics and the way forward. Notes, index, 278pp, UK. EARTHSCAN, 185383937X

This book is based on the experience gained over twenty years of working to strengthen the capacities of rural communities to manage their own water supply systems. The day-to-day experiences of twenty two communities in six different countries with differing geographical, socio-economic and cultural settings are at the heart of this fascinating book. Supplemented with research findings, it shows the power and creativity with which community people work to keep their water supply systems operational, and it also shows their struggles and difficulties. 192pp, UK. ITDG PUBLISHING, 1853395641

Efforts to change the race-based systems of land ownership and land tenure in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have pushed land issues to the forefront of social and economic discourses in Africa. This collection examines the broader context of the re-emergence of land reform and resource conflicts. The case studies (Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe) examine the links between identity maintenance, tenurial changes, state intervention and forms and modes of conflict. The authors emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of local histories, cultures and motivations if efforts to attain a more just distribution of resources are to succeed. Index, 244pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

This is the most complete introduction available on techniques for developing groundwater for rural water supplies in developing countries. It provides information on simple, effective techniques for sitting wells and boreholes, assessing the sustainability of sources, constructing and testing the yield of boreholes and wells, and monitoring groundwater quality. Highly illustrated, and written by acknowledged experts with extensive international experience, the book is specifically designed and developed to meet the needs of rural water supply project staff in developing countries. Index, xx, 358pp. ITDG PUBLISHING.

Over one billion people live with inadequate access to safe drinking water with dramatic consequences for lives, livelihoods and development. Transparency International's Global Corruption Report 2008 demonstrates in its thematic section that corruption is a cause and catalyst for this water crisis which is likely to be further exacerbated by climate change. Corruption affects all aspects of the water sector from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower. Scholars and professionals document the impact of corruption in the sector with case studies from all around the world and offer practical sugges-tions for reform. The second part of the Report provides a snapshot of corruption-related developments in 35 countries from all world regions. The third part presents summaries of corruption-related research, highlighting innovative methodologies and new empirical findings that help to better understand the dynamics of corruption and devise more effective anti-corruption strategies. Index, tables, charts, 367pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Global disparities in health and access to water are two major threats to world stability. As international contracts and corporate agreements divert water, conflicts sharpen over the basic resources to support human life. Drawing on expertise in medical and ecological anthropology, the twelve contributors challenge and deepen our understanding of the management, sale and conceptualization of water as it affects human health. Includes essays on Malawi and Southern Africa. Index, bib, 322pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

Collection of thirty peer-reviewed papers on the topic, and provides a first glimpse of the situation across the continent. The first section provides a broad overview of the situation in Africa. The section highlights topics of special significance to the continent, and some broad country perspectives, whereas the subsequent papers provide specific case studies to substan-tiate the general perspectives. A range of diverse hydrogeological settings, with associated pollution sources, their causes and consequences across the continent, is given. Methodologies to understand impacts and improve the situation are presented, together with the challenges ahead. 353pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

This volume is the second of three that explore all aspects of water - social, cultural, political, religious, historical, economic and technological - from ancient times to the present day. The contributors examine the changing histories of water as a private or common good; the politics of water at local, urban, national and international level; water in cities; great river plans; dams; river biographies; and images of water in religion, myth, literature and art. Includes essays on the Sudan, Lesotho, the Great Lakes region, the Nile and Namibia. Index, tables, charts, 564pp, UK. IB TAURIS.

The author tests the dominant assumption that water disputes cause violent conflict between states and other actors in world politics. The Nile, the Tiger Euphrates and the Indus are the case studies of this paper. BNS, 228pp, UK. ASHGATE PUBLISHERS, 0754633381

Following on from the work of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) coalition in 2005 to highlight the significance of the Millennium Development Goals, and raise levels of development finance, this report states how Oxfam believes aid should be spent, and what poor country governments should do to ensure the MDGs are met. This accessible, well-referenced report looks critically at success stories in the provision of public services, with case studies from countries including Mozambique and Uganda. 126pp, UK. OXFAM PUBLICATIONS.

A study of conflicts arising from nations sharing water sources such as rivers and lakes. Issues discussed include water scarcity and its threat to peace and sustainable water agreements and cooperation. Regions profiled include Southern Africa, North Africa and the Middle East. UK. FRANK CASS, 071465566X

Water sustains life: without it, humans cannot survive for more than a few days. And yet this precious fluid is becoming increasingly politicized as the debates about control and ownership of water itself, and of the many organizations which govern its use, gain force. Maggie Black examines the world water crisis in its many dimensions, not least the recent tendency to try to manage water by handing over to private entrepreneurs not just the pipes, but the pipes, but the rivers, aquifers and rainfall supplying them. Water has always been regarded as a commons which nobody can own. As this basic principle erodes, can people hold on to their right to water? Tables, bib, index, 144pp, UK. VERSO.

A discussion of the complex problem of water scarcity. The author provides a wide range of ideas, information, case studies and ecological knowledge providing answers to the use of water and water management at a critical time when the water cycle is threatened. Index, notes, charts, diags, xiv, 302pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Today, two giant corporations, Veolia and Suez, control 80% of the international private water market and have some 300 million customers. Protests have broken out in Bolivia, Argentina, Ghana and South Africa and the water giants are switching to new markets in China, North America and Europe. Drawing on her own interviews with the poor, experts and corporate executives in Latin America, Africa and Europe, the author tells a graphic story much more complicated than simply public or private provision, or innovative mixes of the two. The ultimate question is this: is water a human right or just another tradable commodity? Index, bib, 282pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Using photography, analysis and extracts from literature, the author explores the impact of water in history and the world today, from religious rituals to the privatisation of water. Includes examples from all over the globe, including desert and tropical regions in Africa. Bib, 144pp, UK. NEW INTERNATIONALIST, 190445612X

An analysis and critique of the issues surrounding the privatisation of water and its commodification, and the increasing pollution of declining fresh water supplies. The author describes how this can be changed and how a world wide water contract could be drafted. Index, notes, xv, 135pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1856499065

A discussion of water and the political and environmental issues involved with its use and pollution. The author, an environmentalist, looks at the rising urgency of dealing with both water shortages and rising tides. Index, bib, gloss, notes, 307pp, USA. RIVERHEAD, 1573229954

Asks the big questions about the enormously important political and geo-strategic issue of water. Does water have a price? Is it a right or a need? Is there a water crisis? Will wars be fought over water? Should we be worried about water pollution? Can the available technological solutions keep it under control? It also provides some elements of an answer. It shows that the ways in which water is used and managed raise central issues about our lifestyle, our ethics, and our relationship to nature and the biosphere. It makes the case for a society that is more economical with water. 216pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.