February 4, 2008

Book Review - Keepers of the Spring

Keepers of the Spring: Reclaiming Our Water in an Age of Globalization
Fred Pearce
TD 345 .P33 2004

Water resources have always been a source of political conflict. Pearce points out that those whose need for water--farmers and poor communities--often it is those very same groups who have neither the money nor the political clout to compete effectively for the resources that they require. Pearce asserts that todays water engineering projects are worsening the water crisis. By drawing a sharp contrast between large-scale water engineering projects and small-scale traditional water collection efforts, Pearce argues in favor of water "keepers," those who draw on traditional means to collect, store, and distribute the water that they need to survive. By combining these traditional practices with modern technology, Pearce believes that they are establishing a sustainable alternative that works with, rather than trys to control nature.