We now live in a world where the quality of water can be considered a major human rights issue. In the poverty stricken slums of the developing world, people have little choice other than to dump raw sewage into their local river.

The health affects are significant, particularly in the developing world. In numerous cities, the biggest health problem is the lack of clean water. With economic prosperity, the advantage of newly acquired wealth is clearly apparent.

Suzhou Creek is an ancient canal cutting through the heart of Shanghai. Today it’s the city’s lifeline. Each day thousands of barges carry food and construction materials in and out of Shanghai. A few years ago the canal was literally a sewer.

Suzhou Creek received massive amounts of wastewater and pollution from factories flanking the canal. To remedy the problem authorities invested billions of dollars to build a series of huge tunnels to collect Shanghai’s wastewater, which was then treated and flushed out to sea. The clean up of Suzhou Creek was made possible because of a thriving economy.

Slum in Haiti

Located 600 miles off the southeast coast of the United States is the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. This is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country and unlike Shanghai it suffers from severe economic depression and political instability.

When a nation can't afford to provide the basic necessities of life, water becomes a rare and often unaffordable commodity.

In the slums of Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, a quarter of a million Haitians are at the mercy of local gang members who control all forms of commerce, including the sale and distribution of safe drinking water. The children that live in these back alleys are the innocent victims of poverty. Their life expectancy is almost thirty years less than children born in the United States.

In Haiti, a week's supply of water could be equal to a day's wages. When a nation can't afford to provide the basic necessities of life, water becomes a rare and often unaffordable commodity. Fortunately, even in the world's poorest countries, there are small victories.

In a remote corner of Zimbabwe, in Southern Africa, during the dry season it may not rain for months. Watering holes and grasslands disappear. Elephants invade farms and pastures in search of food. An unforgiving sun turns villages into dusty wastelands.

Seasonal drought has always been part of this nation’s history. But when the rains don’t come most farm families are forced to struggle with hunger – sometimes famine – as their tiny plots of land turn brown. Yet there are communities in Zimbabwe that have found ways to cope with the lack of rain.

The Rio Grande River marks much of the twelve hundred mile border between Mexico and Texas. And for those living in one of the most arid regions of North America – the Rio Grande has always been a primary source of water.

Along the Falcon Dam reservoir, the history of the water crisis is literally etched in stone. A series of high water marks along the shore show a dramatic and steady loss of water.

Even in times of drought, the river always provided. Fifty years ago the Mexican and United States governments built the Falcon Dam across the Rio Grande. They also created a huge reservoir that was supposed to supply the region's water needs well into the 21st century.

But, in the five decades since the dam was built, much has happened in the Rio Grande Valley. New cities sprang up on both sides of the border. Commerce flourished – and as the population exploded from 200,000 to 20 million – the demand for water increased.

Along the Falcon Dam reservoir, the history of the water crisis is literally etched in stone. A series of high water marks along the shore show a dramatic and steady loss of water. The first to suffer were local farmers. These farmers have just become a statistic – victims of a global water crisis that threatens to be even more serious in the years ahead.

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