The world’s population has tripled in the last century, but its use of water has increased by a factor of six. This means that while our planet today has the same amount of water as it did a million years ago, there are ......The world’s population has tripled in the last century, but its use of water has increased by a factor of six. This means that while our planet today has the same amount of water as it did a million years ago, there are now six billion people competing for that asset. The figures, after all, are deceiving. Though 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, almost 98% of it lies in the salty oceans. That leaves precious little for those of us on dry land. Only a fraction is available from rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and only a little more can be claimed from underground. The rest of our fresh water is locked in glaciers, ice sheets and inaccessible mountain areas. To make matters worse, our fresh water is steadily being polluted. More than a billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and more than two billion have no access at all to wastewater treatment. Around 80% of all disease and more than a third of all deaths in developing countries are caused by consumption of polluted water. ABS is working to change this. Our broad application knowledge, supported by our pumps, aerators and other high-quality products, is being used restore some of nature’s balance. Much remains to be done, but already we are making a difference in places all over the globe. Water is indeed the next gold. And we at ABS hope to make the whole world rich.