Across continents, the world’s thirst for freshwater is testing borders, alliances, and the limits of diplomacy. Water is no longer a quiet environmental concern; it is the defining geopolitical resource of the twenty-first century.

In the green fields of British agriculture, irrigation keeps crops alive but not always the people who pick them. Migrant workers face inadequate access to water, sanitation and dignity while powering the nation’s harvest.

Refilling is no longer just for water bottles. Across Britain, people are topping up pasta jars, detergent bottles and coffee cups as part of a fast-growing movement that’s cutting waste, saving money, and reshaping everyday shopping.

New studies show waxworm caterpillars can digest polyethylene plastics, sparking excitement and ethical debate about biotech fixes to pollution.

Rain falling on a fertilised field may seem harmless, but when it carries nitrates, phosphates and other agricultural residues into nearby rivers and streams, it fuels one of the UK’s most persistent environmental problems.

England’s water firms are appealing to the CMA as if they were rival brands in a free market. In reality, they are state-sanctioned monopolies that pay dividends while claiming they cannot afford to fix their own leaks.

A family of beavers in the Czech Republic built a dam in just two days, delivering natural flood management that planners had debated for seven years.

Across Britain, a quiet revolution is taking place by the water’s edge. Armed with test kits and boundless curiosity, children are becoming “water detectives”, helping scientists uncover the hidden stories flowing through the nation’s rivers and streams.

Walk through a rain-soaked moor on a winter’s day and you will feel it underfoot, the soft, springy ground that seems to drink in the downpour. It is not just mud or moss. It is one of Britain’s most overlooked natural assets in the fight against flooding: peatland.

The first thing most people think when it rains in a city is not wonder at the gift of water, but worry. Will the drains cope? Will the road outside flood? Will the river break its banks again?

Free pioneering publication delivers comprehensive analysis across 8 regions as UK abolishes Ofwat and nations confront unprecedented water challenges

When people think of retirement, they often picture leisure, travel or time with family. Yet for a growing number of older adults, retirement has opened the door to something equally rewarding: becoming guardians of local rivers and streams. Across the UK, retired volunteers are stepping forward as “river rangers”, patrolling waterways, recording wildlife, monitoring pollution and fostering community pride.

Across Britain and Europe, rivers that were once engineered into rigid channels are being allowed to breathe again. Concrete embankments have been removed, floodplains reconnected, and meanders re-introduced.

Britain’s schools may have dodged the headlines over crumbling RAAC concrete, but another scandal runs quietly through their pipes. Ageing infrastructure, lead contamination, and legionella risks are putting children at risk, with virtually no national oversight. This isn’t just America’s problem, it’s a British disgrace hiding in plain sight

Two floods in ten days raise urgent questions about ageing pipes, rapid development, and whether Banbury’s water system is keeping pace.