PBS Airs Series On Water
Two new programs to highlight water
December 3, 2000
PBS has released a six-part series entitled, “Water: The Drop of Life” and a special “All About Dams” both to be aired early next year over its network of PBS stations.
The “Water: The Drop of Life,” series focuses on the worldwide scarcity of drinking water. “Today, more than a billion people have to walk over a mile every day for their drinking water, 80 percent of all diseases result directly from drinking polluted water and many believe future wars will be fought over fresh water,” states PBS in their program announcement.
Interviews with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former President Jimmy Carter, the Dali Lama, actor Ted Danson, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Jordan’s Queen Noor, Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, and Body Shop founder Anita Roddick give the series a global perspective of the importance of water.
Described as “Through enlightening interviews and stunning film footage,” the series explores the complexities of water use and conservation across the world. The first episode, “Body and Soul,” introduces the subject and explores the spiritual significance of water and how water is used differently from culture to culture. Each of the following five episodes examines a different aspect of water from farming and industrial uses of water, to pollution of water, transportation of water and conflicts that may arise over water. The last installment entitled, “Search for a Sustainable Future,” address the question of increasing populations and diminishing water supplies as they relate to new technologies and water conservation.
The “All About Dams” special is part of the “Building Big” series and highlights eight dams built worldwide, including Hoover Dam located on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. Sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the program includes the basics of building dams and interesting engineering facts.
More information regarding these PBS progams can be obtained on the following web sites: