The Problem With Clean Water in the Poorest Countries

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Many people have argued that availability of clean water is the single biggest environmental issue in the world. How are countries dealing with that? Of course, at the root of this, often is just bad governance and not very well run by government. Give us an overview of the poorest parts of the world,. what might be done if things were different. So there's lots of answers. I'll give you a couple examples.

David Zetland of Leiden University College in the Netherlands and author of Living with Water Scarcity talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the challenges of water management. Issues covered include the sustainability of water supplies, the affordability of water for the poor, the incentives water companies face, and the management of water systems in the poorest countries. Also discussed are the diamond and water paradox, campaigns to reduce water usage, and the role of prices in managing a water system.