Parched

Parched

Synopsis

Water is so essential to life that we cannot survive without it for more than three days. But its limited. On Earth, only 3% of our water is fresh, with less than 1% available for human use. The other 2% is locked inside the Poles. Today, with over a billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, we are finally being forced to confront a stark reality: a future where, in many parts of the world, fresh water is scarce, expensive, and out of our hands. PARCHED is a feature documentary and four episodes that takes a character-driven and investigative approach to find out who really controls water in this country -- and in the world. PARCHED will unite investigative journalism with narrative entertainment in the deeply engaging style for which Jigsaw is renowned. The series will be haunting, shocking and cinematic -- and viewers will be left with a new and frightening understanding of our planets most precious resource. Villains, victims, and heroes guide the stories in each installment, backed by expert interviews, unfolding verite scenes and revealing archival. In our feature documentary and first episode ("Privatization), we follow the trail of powerful water moguls in drought-plagued California, and beyond, as they take over precious water resources in shady backroom deals. Episode Two ("Sacrificial Waters") investigates how billion-dollar industries use money and manipulation in exchange for a free pass to poison our waterways and precious underground reserves. In our third episode ("Wall Streets Water"), we expose the mega-banks who are buying up and cashing in on water as they create a budding new industry benefiting an elite few. The final episode of PARCHED ("Global Water Conflict") reveals alarming near-future scenarios as water wars become a reality, and countries stake their claim on the next freshwater frontiers: Antarctica and Greenland.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Parched 1 (1x60 Cutdown)

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    Parched explores a rich tale of water and power in the state of California. Through multiple investigations, we discover how a handful of water barons manipulate and exploit the state's most precious resource, while drought and a groundwater crisis leave everyday Americans desperate for better solutions. As California experiences more and more water woes, the future of its agriculture - which provides nearly half the country's fruits, nuts and vegetables - becomes less certain. Californians and the world are waking up to a stark reality: water is the next commodity, and it's growing more valuable. As a Porterville resident warns us, "You're going...

  • Toxic Waters

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    This episode of Parched investigates the corporations who contaminate our fresh water resources and the lengths to which they'll go to cover it up, and shines a light on the lack of regulation in place to keep our waterways safe from pollution.

  • Global Water Wars

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    As our planet dries up, access to water is not only a powerful lifeline - it has also become a dangerous weapon of war. The final episode of PARCHED zeroes in on the world's most vulnerable hot spots for water-related conflict, revealing that in some cases the Water Wars are already upon us...

  • Money Flows

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    In this episode of PARCHED, we explore the water crisis in Flint to find its roots in nearby Detroit, a city whose own water problems reveal how some citizens pay the ultimate price when government fails to provide clean, affordable water...and raises the question: is water a human right?