Dhaka in Bangladesh, a city of 13 million, suffers chronic water problems. The Buriganga River, which runs through Dhaka, is black with untreated sewage and toxic waste from the 277 tanneries and other industries that line its banks. Each year $240 million worth of leather skins are exported from Bangladesh, most of which are sent to high end fashion houses in Europe, China and Japan. The tanneries discharge 22 000 cubic meters of untreated liquid toxic waste daily into the rivers, gutters and canals of Hazaribagh. Many Dhaka locals use the Buriganga River to bathe and wash their vegetables. Half a million residents of Dhaka are at risk of serious illness due to the chemical pollution from the tanneries. Many are suffering from skin diseases, chronic respiratory problems and destruction of the nasal septum. Amidst this pollution, a poverty-stricken boy burns the rubber from electrical wires to sell the copper for scrap. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2009 © Paul Blackmore

Pacific . Sydney Australia 2002 © Paul Blackmore

A Haitian Man bathes under the scared waters at Saut d'Eau Haiti 2001 © Paul Blackmore

Bathers Black Sea Russia 2001 © Paul Blackmore

In a Voodoo ceremony, Ogoun (the spirit of iron, hunting, politics and war) is honored with rituals and animal sacrifices in and around the sacred mud pond Bassin St Jacques in Plain du Nord. A man, possessed by a voodoo spirit, falls into the sacred pond. Haiti 2001 © Paul Blackmore

The Aral Sea, once a glistening body of water, lost two-thirds of its volume when its source waters were diverted to irrigate new mega-farms the Soviet Union created during the 1960’s. Diverting the water resulted in the collapse of the once healthy local fishing industry, forcing people to abandon their homes. Previously the fourth largest lake in the world, The Aral Sea is now mostly a dry graveyard of rusting ships. Aralsk, Kazakhstan 2008 © Paul Blackmore

Orthodox Jewish men and boys collect water from an ancient mountain spring during the Mayim Shelanu (rested water) ceremony. The water is left to stand overnight then used to bake matzoh (unleavened bread) to be eaten during the Passover festival. The week long festival commemorates the hasty flight of the Jews from ancient Egypt, as described in the biblical book of Exodus. It is believed that the Israelites had no time to allow their bread to rise as they hastily prepared for their precipitous flight from Egypt. Instead, they baked matzoh, a flat, yeast-less cracker of flour and water, to take on the journey. Jerusalem © Paul Blackmore

A young Russian man immerses himself in freezing water as part of the Russian Orthodox Ritual of the Epiphany. Each year a crucifix is carved into the frozen lake in front of the Monastery Velikiy. Believers all over Russia participate in the ritual as a form of spiritual cleansing.  Russia 2009 © Paul Blackmore

A Haitian mother and daughter bathe in the waters of a cascade as part of the Voodoo festival Saut d’Eau. Saut d’Eau is home to Haiti’s celebrated patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Vierge Miracle). Saut d’Eau is said to be the most important pilgrimage site in Haiti. Thousands of pilgrims from Haiti, and other parts of the world, travel to Saut d’Eau to participate in the festivities. The worshippers bathe in the sacred water and pray to the Virgin Mary, seeking answers and miracles.  Haiti 2001 © Paul Blackmore

Trucks transport water to areas of the city where the locals, lacking access to clean drinking water, are forced to pay for the delivered water. Dhaka, Bangladesh 2010 © Paul Blackmore

By 2000 the decades-long war for independence against Ethiopia had resulted in 290,000 Eritreans living in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps throughout the country. The scarcity of clean, fresh water in the over-populated camps was a daily health concern for the IDPs. Girls in a camp outside Asmara collect water during the war with Ethiopia. Eritrea 2000 © Paul Blackmore

At Water’s Edge by Paul Blackmore