Water is a valuable resource.
July 2, 2009 at 1:57 pm Leave a comment
The editors of the Public Library of Science Medicine are worried that “access to clean water, which is essential for health, is under threat,” due to the privatization of the water industry. It’s a little frightening to learn that clean drinking water has become a $500 billion industry three corporations are dominating.
“This model has proven to be a failure,” wrote Maude Barlow, senior advisor on water issues to the UN General Assembly’s president, in an essay published last year. “High water rates, cut-offs to the poor, reduced services, broken promises and pollution have been the legacy of privatization.”
You can read the full article in Wired Science, but in the mean time, think about the kinds of disasters that happen when money becomes the only priority in dealing with natural resources. (Recall how Colorado law prevents the collection of rainwater or grey water, because they don’t own the rights to the water).
UPDATE:
Boing Boing reports that Colorado has reversed their rainbarrel ban, not because it was asinine, but because “A study in 2007 proved crucial to convincing Colorado lawmakers that rain catching would not rob water owners of their rights [to downstream bodies of water].” Cheers.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized, Water. Tags: Grey Water Collection, human rights, Water.
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