The Inquirer's World Water Crisis Watch

The Inquirer is now fixing its eyes on what could be the next truly global humanitarian crisis: the fight for clean water.

Only a fraction of the world's water is fresh (or, not salty), and already a billion people a day lack adequate resources for drinking and bathing.

As an introduction, click on the image to work with an informative interactive map put together by the BBC which indicates a number of flashpoints around the world where catastrophe looms.