Water for people, water for life : a joint report by the twenty three UN agencies concerned with freshwater / World Water Assessment Programme.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. I. Setting the Scene -- Ch. 1. The World's Water Crisis -- Ch. 2. Milestones -- Ch. 3. Signing Progress: Indicators Mark the Way -- part II. A Look at the World's Freshwater Resources -- Ch. 4. The Natural Water Cycle -- part III. Challenges to Life and Well-Being -- Ch. 5. Basic Needs and the Right to Health -- Ch. 6. Protecting Ecosystems for People and Planet -- Ch. 7. Cities: Competing Needs in an Urban Environment -- Ch. 8. Securing Food for a Growing World Population -- Ch. 9. Promoting Cleaner Industry for Everyone's Benefit -- Ch. 10. Developing Energy to Meet Development Needs -- part IV. Management Challenges: Stewardship and Governance -- Ch. 11. Mitigating Risk and Coping with Uncertainty -- Ch. 12. Sharing Water: Defining a Common Interest -- Ch. 13. Recognizing and Valuing the Many Faces of Water -- Ch. 14. Ensuring the Knowledge Base: A Collective Responsibility -- Ch. 15. Governing Water Wisely for Sustainable Development -- part V. Pilot Case Studies: A Focus on Real-World Examples -- Ch. 16. Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand -- Ch. 17. Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe-Pskovskoe, Estonia and the Russian Federation -- Ch. 18. Ruhuna Basins, Sri Lanka -- Ch. 19. Seine-Normandy River Basin, France -- Ch. 20. Senegal River Basin, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal -- Ch. 21. Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia and Peru -- Ch. 22. Greater Tokyo, Japan -- part VI. Fitting the Pieces Together -- Ch. 23. The World's Water Crisis: Fitting the Pieces Together.

"This Report offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of the state of the world's freshwater resources, based on the collective input of twenty-three United Nations agencies and convention secretariats. The global picture is complemented by the presentation of seven pilot case studies of river basins representing different social, economic and environmental settings: Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru), Senegal River (Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal), Seine-Normandy (France); Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe-Pskovskoe, (Estonia, Russian Federation); Ruhuna basins (Sri Lanka); Greater Tokyo (Japan); and Chao Phraya River (Thailand)." "With its numerous full-colour maps, country tables, references and coverage of a broad range of themes and real-world examples, the UN World Water Development Report - Water for People, Water for Life - should find its place as a valued, authoritative and well-worn reference book."--Jacket.