Uruguay's Water Crisis - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

Kate Adie introduces stories from Uruguay, India, Haiti, New Zealand and Botswana.

A long and severe drought in Uruguay has caused the country's worst ever water crisis. As fresh water reservoirs run dry, water from the River Plate estuary has been added to the mix, leaving locals in the capital with a salty taste in their mouths - and an increasing reliance on bottled water. Dr Grace Livingstone discovers how it's affecting daily life.

The northeast Indian state of Manipur has been caught in a spiral of ethnic violence for two months, pitting the dominant Meitei community against the tribal Kuki people. Almost 150 have died in the violence, as the two communities become increasingly segregated, as Raghvendra Rao has found.

Haiti has qualified for the football World Cup finals for the first time ever, and will take on England in their first game. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Americas, and plagued by earthquakes, political murders and gang violence. But the footballers are keen to project a more positive image to the world, as Joe Rindl heard when he spoke to Haiti goalkeeper, Kerly Theus.

A special holiday or the experience of expat life can lead to certain countries finding a special place in our hearts. That's what happened to Ash Bhardwaj in New Zealand, where he found that a polished blue aotea stone connects his baby daughter, his late mother - and Maori culture.

Botswana is now home to a third of Africa's elephants, and its Okawango delta has become something of an elephant sanctuary. But there are difficulties when the territories of animals and people overlap, reports John Murphy.

Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Further episodes of From Our Own Correspondent Podcast

Further podcasts by BBC Radio 4

Website of BBC Radio 4