THE AISLE SEAT - by Mike McGranaghan
"WATER WARS"
Bangladesh is surrounded on three sides by India. The problem is that India has built a series of dams to keep water in their country during the dry season, meaning that Bangladesh goes into a horrible drought. Conversely, when India's reservoirs get too full, excess water is released, thereby flooding Bangladesh without warning. Homes get buried beneath water, sending their occupants scurrying to the roofs in a search for safety. A related problem is that, during dry season, people in Bangladesh have to tap underground water, which is often full of arsenic. This has created a serious health crisis.
The substance we take for granted in this country is the subject of Water Wars, a documentary now available on DVD from Cinema Libre Studios. The film looks specifically at the situation in Bangladesh, interviewing the people who try to survive there daily, as well as experts who are attempting to figure out ways to help. Narrated by Martin Sheen, it takes the difficult-to-disagree-with position that access to clean water is a basic human right, one that is being denied to nearly one billion people. Water issues elsewhere in the world are also examined for perspective, including a section dedicated to New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina and segment on a tragic 1953 flood in Holland that occurred when the dykes were unable to hold back the sea.
The documentary tends to be a bit on the didactic side, with a fair number of talking heads whose science you may occasionally find confusing. (I did.) But even so, it's hard to argue with the message of Water Wars or the sheer power of its imagery. In the United States, water is disposable. We let faucets run, buy bottled water without worrying about its cleanliness, and waste it in all kinds of manners. Hearing the stories of people in Bangladesh makes you realize just how fortunate we are, and how desperately others need our help. Thankfully, the film serves as a way of putting this issue on our radar. It ends with the revelation that a scientist has developed a special filter to convert poisoned water into something drinkable, with no fancy equipment necessary. This could be a significant turning point in helping to solve the world's water crisis. Let's hope so.
The Water Wars DVD also comes with a trailer, a making-of segment, a music video, and a video blog from Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh.
Water Wars is unrated but contains some disturbing imagery, including the dead bodies of both adults and children. The running time is 55 minutes.