Mayor Pat McManus says there's no shortage of water on the West Coast and the 'silent majority' of locals support the proposed Mokihinui dam.

Forecasters and frustrated farmers say short bursts of heavy showers yesterday will do little to break droughts.

Parts of the drought-stricken north are expected to get their first rain in more than two months, but forecasters warn they are unlikely to be the end of the drought.

Up to 20 million people in Bangladesh are at risk of suffering early deaths because of arsenic poisoning - the legacy of a well-intentioned but ill-planned water project.

Treating effluent to make it reusable would not be economic, say experts.

Figures released today showed 98 people drowned last year, the second lowest annual toll since records began in 1980.