Four Countries

Four Water Challenges

pouringwaterINDIA – Sacred Ganges River, severely polluted, needs clean-up
BRAZIL – Amazon deforestation threatens farming, hydropower
PAKISTAN – Receding Himalayan glacier cuts meltwater to vital Indus River
YEMEN – Unregulated extraction has depleted groundwater in this arid nation
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Harvard Water Security Initiative

waterglassWith growing threats to their water security, many nations are exploring new ways to safeguard drinking water and food, generate energy, and sustain economic growth. As part of this effort, the Harvard Water Security Initiative is stimulating world-class research by faculty and students across many disciplines-including history, anthropology, climate change studies, environmental research, biology, business, government, engineering, and public health. Their goal: to enable policymakers to better understand today’s water threats and to mobilize a full range of tools for countering them. Under the leadership of Professor John Briscoe of HSPH and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the University is initially forging collaborations among Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists and researchers in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United States. The Initiative is also engaging with a growing number of private companies involved with water issues. And partnerships are being established on specific water security issues with nations in which Harvard faculty and students are engaged. The Initiative’s mission is to build knowledge and train a new generation of scholars-undergraduates, doctoral students, post-docs, and young faculty-to address this looming global crisis. To aid this effort, HSPH and SEAS will be raising funds to support faculty, research, and scholarships for undergraduates and graduate students.