A sweeping new U.N. report warns of a global water crisis caused by population growth, pollution and climate change. Echoing a 1998 cover story in PARADE, it predicts that the average water supply per person will fall by a third within 20 years. As many as 7 billion people in 60 countries could face scarce supplies by 2050.

Water already is at crisis levels in much of the Mideast, including Kuwait, Qatar, Gaza and Saudi Arabia. Belgium surprisingly, has the worst water (due to industrial pollution and poor waste treatment), followed by Morocco, India, Jordan and Sudan. Canada and New Zealand are among the best for quality and quantity.

Visit http://www.wateryear2003.org/ for details.