as the mighty river Rhone surges through eastern France, water shortage is far from anyone's mind living on the banks of the river. Along its 500-mile route, it is fed by many tributaries until the river spills, largely untapped, into the Mediterranean Sea. But along the same sea, scarcity of fresh water is an increasingly nagging issue farther west, in the arid regions of eastern Spain. So Barcelona has developed a daring plan: to build a pipeline through southern France and the Pyrenees to carry water from the Rhone River to Spain.

The 200-mile aquaduct could provide water for more than 4.5 million people, who would pay for the project with higher water bills. If approved, this will be the first time a pipeline of this scale will be considered for carrying water from one country to another in Europe. Experts point to the scheme as a harbinger of things to come along the Mediterranean zone.