Introduction

It is difficult to conceive of any other element which is more central to human existence and to the human imagination than water. Biologically we are more than 2/3 composed of water and our cultures, around the world and down through the ages, have developed a complex and exalted conception of this simple but versatile molecule, two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen. H₂0. At its simplest we can equate water with life itself. Even a minor deficiency in water – say 5% of biophysical need – can seriously debilitate a human being. We can survive weeks without food, but only days without water (less in hotter, more arid places). And yet, as the economist Adam Smith pointed out long ago, there is the enduring paradox that while water, which is vital for life, is often considered valueless – a free good – (though this is indeed changing rapidly as we shall see in subsequent chapters), diamonds, which are biophysically useless, are highly valued. Strange priorities indeed! And Abraham Maslow, whose famous “hierarchy of needs” is well known throughout the social sciences, ranked the need for water third, right after “breathing” and “food”! ¹