BACK TO THE WELL. Rethinking the Future of Water

A fresh look at the most important international water issue of this
generation, from a Governor General's Award-winning author.

Droughts, floods and contamination of fresh water in the American Southwest, the Great Lakes region, Australia, northern China, the Middle East, and in India have brought the critical issue of water supply to the forefront of public consciousness. In dozens of countries, ordinary citizens have cause to worry about what
(or how much) will come out of their taps—if they even have taps—and who will make sure it is available, affordable and safe.
In this refreshing examination of the fate and future of water, Marq de Villiers takes on some of the biggest questions and shibboleths of the century. Who owns water? Is access to water a human right? Who is responsible for keeping water clean and ensuring it gets to the people who need it most? Is privatization of ownership and supply networks an evil or an extension of the public trust?
Fifteen years after the publication of WATER: THE FATE OF OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE, his influential Governor General's Awardwinning book on the water crisis, de Villiers returns with a clear-eyed assessment of the politics of water—from the personal and commercial uses of water to the impact of climate change and global conflicts. Examining how political ideologies often obscure the underlying issues, de Villiers makes the controversial suggestion that there is no global water crisis, but that water problems are fundamentally local and regional and can most effectively be addressed through local, rather than global, action.

MARQ DE VILLIERS is a veteran journalist who has reported from many parts of the world, especially Africa and the former Soviet Union. He is the author of 15 books, many of them award-winning, including the first Alan Paton Award for Non Fiction Writing on South Africa; the Governor General's Award for Non Fiction; the Saskatchewan Showcase Award for Water Water, a 3-hour television documentary; the Evelyn Richardson Award for Non Fiction; the Dartmouth Book Award for Non Fiction; the Writers Trust of Canada / Pearson Writers Trust Non Fiction Awards; and finalist for both the James Beard Awards (wine and spirits category) and Julia Child Awards (literary food writing). De Villiers was born in South Africa and is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and the London School of Economics. He holds an honorary degree from Dalhousie University and in 2010 was appointed to the Order of Canada. He lives in Eagle Head, on Nova Scotia's south
shore.