The very large Ogallala aquifer in the American mid-west is under severe stress. The Great Lakes, the largest repository of freshwater in the world, are losing water and have suffered considerable pollution and contamination. Mexico, once rich in water, has become dry because of the destruction of old systems, and is sinking because of extensive groundwater-extraction. Big corporations, sensing profits in the emerging water scarcity, are moving in (Suez, Vivendi, RWE-Thames, Bechtel, the soft-drinks giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola, and so on), and are trying to obtain control over the world's water resources. The growth of the global water lords and the emergence of water cartels make frightening reading. The book is a very important one, and one hopes it will be widely read in this country. Acidus recently asked, "Do salesmen/upper management need to better understand their products?" Perhaps what's central to success is to understand scarcity, the lack thereof, and which model applies in any given scenario. Looming threat to water security | 
