World Water Day 2010, dedicated to the issue of water quality, points to a challenge that is often omitted from the scarcity debate. Today, through a variety of global events, publications, and speeches, a large coalition of organizations, companies, and institutions will underline the importance of healthy ecosystems and water quality necessary for human well-being.

A participating partner in this initiative, the National Geographic Society, has made its special issue on water, Water: Our Thirsty World, available for free online. After registration, readers may find the following stories interesting:

“Water is Life” – Barbara Kingsolver
“The Big Melt” – Brook Larmer
“Sacred Waters” – John Stanmeyer
“The Burden of Thirst” – Tina Rosenberg
“Silent Streams” – Douglas H. Chadwick
“California’s Pipe Dreams” – Joel K. Bourne, Jr.
“Parting the Waters” – Don Belt
“The Last Drop” – Elizabeth Royte

Photo Credits: “Rural water pump near Ulundi, South Africa” Photo: Flickr User Trevor Samson, World Bank Photo Collection