Photo: Tomas Kauneckas.

Lithuanian photographer Tomas Kauneckas has an important message to tell us all: don’t play with water. That message is the title of his photography campaign on water conservation that he and his team created in 2009. The photographs are still circulating as a cutting-edge campaign aimed at our global view of water consumption. Privatization of water, farm irrigation, and hydropower across the globe are causing alarming drops in ground water levels. More than 40 percent of the world’s population relies on rivers to supply water. More than 260 of those river basins are shared by more than one country. Ambiguous ownership of water rights is causing tensions that could lead to wars over water. Kauneckas illustrates this problem through his photography. He wants us to know we must prepare for this growing problem. His message is important, and we are inspired by his raw, graphic photography. We’ll let Kauneckas and his photos do the rest of the talking. Read more…