Global water shortages are looming. Here is what can be done about them.

Spanish officials declare a state of emergency due to drought. Unprecedented water shortages hammer Mexico City. Severely parched Zambia warns of a national disaster.   These are just some of the water-related headlines from the past few weeks.  They are all symptoms of a world facing what experts call a water crisis. At least 50 per cent of the planet’s population – 4 billion people – deal with water shortfalls at least one month of the year. By 2025, 1.8 billion people are likely to face what the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calls “absolute water scarcity.”  Related Story Rivers, lakes under mounting pressure