Europe's droughts lead to investment funds targeting the water wasters

The River Rhine in Bingen, Germany, earlier this month. Low levels on the key transport waterway this summer has put the focus on droughts in Europe

As droughts worsen across the world, investors are turning up the heat on companies wasting water and trying to pick winners from a sparse crowd of specialist stockmarket-listed companies looking to address the problem.

From Kenya to California and nearly half of Europe, a shortage of fresh water has grabbed the attention of policymakers and given millions of citizens a fresh window into the stressed state of the planet.