Extreme weather events, whether it is floods or droughts, threaten to undermine future water supplies, says David Brown. In this week's Green Room, he argues that attitudes have to change if the taps are not going to run dry.

Water, water, everywhere? Not if we continue to take our supply for granted.

Over the past month, the news has been dominated by the impact of devastating floods around the world.

The threat of extreme weather appears to be increasing year-on-year, with devastating results. Millions of people in South Asia have been left with no access to drinking water - instead, they are surrounded by unusable flood water.

While in the UK, those affected by the floods continue to clear up the damage and count the cost; estimates have already passed the £2bn ($4bn) mark.

It is time that the bigger issues were addressed. Are we prepared for another flood? How can we conserve water? What steps is the government taking to develop alternative sources of clean water? How can the public be better educated and informed about sensible water usage?

More than a billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate supplies of safe water, and less than 10% of the world's population receives a treated water supply.

We all know how essential water is to all forms of life and yet, certainly within the UK, calls for universal metering or higher charges are often met with public outrage. But like it or not, our attitudes have to change.

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