ABSTRACT
Leonardo da Vinci describes fresh water as a paradox: a natural resource and sustainer for which we have no substitute, but also a resource that at once unites and divides communities. Water is not always available where and when it is needed; nevertheless, it invariably contributes to social and national identity and defines humans’ interactions with their environment. At times, too much water wreaks havoc on our efforts to control it; at others, water scarcity drives migration, adaptation, and conflict. In fact, fresh water is defined by the discourse of crisis: the crisis of fragmented freshwater systems, the crisis of freshwater supply, and the crisis of pollution (Speth, 2008).
