Water Wars (2010)

by | Jan 27, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

An old but timely documentary about a very serious world problem.

Water Wars (2010)

When Drought, Flood and Greed Collide
Director: Jim Burroughs
Studio: Earth Now! / Cinema Libre CLS1097
Video: 4:3 color
Audio: English PCM mono
Subtitles: English
Narrated by Martin Sheen
Extras: Earth Song video; Bio of Kazi Nazul Islam, author of Oh My River Deep; Behind the scenes of Water Wars; Trailer
Length: 55 min.
Rating: *****

While this documentary is mainly about Bangladesh, it points out the very serious problems going on thruout the world with water, and says that the Third World War, if there is one, will be over water rights. The country of Bangladesh, the poorest in the world, is prey to every threat from water known to man. It regularly has devastating floods due to dams in India (which surrounds the country on three sides) dumping their excess water in the wet season directly into Bangladesh. Then India siphons off river water during the dry season, creating deserts in Bangladesh that are nothing but sand where previously there was a big river. The natives are forced to dig more wells for drinking water, and often this water has serious arsenic poision that is filling their hospitals and graveyards.

There are also some scenes of the water problems in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and in the American SouthWest, but the primary part of the documentary takes place in Bangladesh. Entreaties to India about the problem have gone ignored. The struggle for the human right of drinkable water around the world will only increase in the coming years. Along with the loss of land due to the rising oceans due to global warming – water again – which this documentary barely touches. 75% of the world’s population lives within delta areas and may be flooded out as the oceans rise. Nevertheless this is a good overview of the serious situation, should be seen by all. A sad story indeed.

—John Sunier

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