by Sudesh Samuel

Created on: January 06, 2009   Last Updated: January 11, 2009

Coursing through the veins of the earth's crust, rivers are akin to the lifeblood that sustains much of our world today. Caring for our rivers is paramount as many are now in danger of completely vanishing or becoming so ill as to endanger vast communities.

The impact of seasonal changes on rivers already has immense consequences for a myriad of ecosystems. A

David Attenborough nature documentary can reveal much of the rich flora and fauna that thrive in the surroundings of a healthy river and that die out or migrate in the face of a dying one. Parts of the Nile in Africa are ephemeral, providing seasonal flow that brings out lush greenery amidst vast areas of arid landscape. Wherever and whenever parts of the river dry out, insects and other small creatures do their best to go into hibernation while crocodiles, wildebeests, zebras, lions, elephants and a host of different species of birds either die out or manage to escape through migratory travel. Fortunately many of us do not live under such harsh circumstances and we all too often do not fully appreciate the true value of our rivers.

Among all of earth's environmental resources, water stands out as the most abundant, covering over 70% of our planet's surface. Unfortunately, 97% of it is salt water and often of limited use. More than three quarters of the remaining 3% is locked up in the polar ice caps and after accounting for groundwater, soil moisture and atmospheric water, what remains is a mere 0.02% of all the water on the planet that can be found in our freshwater lakes and rivers. With such an infinitesimal amount of global water, rivers may appear to be of limited value, yet they oftentimes carry the only drinkable water to many of us and make water most readily available for purposes of hygiene, sustaining agriculture and industry, hydroelectric power, waste disposal and transportation. Beyond providing usable water, a healthy river may also avail food and farming, a scenic delight and a host of recreational activities like swimming, boating and whitewater kayaking.

The song Orinoco Flow conjures up the magic of traveling along a river to different destinations and it remains poetic how the major rivers of the world have cradled human civilization. The beginnings of Egyptian agriculture depended on seasonal flooding along the Nile. The Mississippi, while serving a vast array of American towns and cities, now supports 12 million people and provides a habitat for 241 different species of fish along with

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