The focus of this special section are the problems and issues regarding water development in developing countries. A significant number of the populations in developing countries do not have access to satisfactory water supplies. This problem is especially acute in the rural areas. The planning process has routinely failed to lead to successful projects. Often the projects do not pass the simplest of benefit-cost analysis. Further, the institutional framework that is developed for the administration of the projects is often flawed. The papers in this special section address these issues. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1993