In the past years, the world population has grown while the quantity of drinkable clean water has decreased considerably. Water scarcity has become an alarming issue all over the world. Public opinion is quickly becoming aware that the water crisis is not only affecting developing countries but is starting to have consequences for wealth countries like the United States. Some regions of the United States are already suffering from problems of water shortage or poor water quality; the issue of water privatization has triggered boiling debates all over the world. Environmentalists argue that water is not a commodity but an undeniable human right, while many powerful lobbies and organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are vividly arguing in favor of the privatization of water.  From an ethical point of view, water is indeed a vital resource necessary to all living beings on earth. In certain regions of the world, where entire villages survive thanks to agriculture, water privatization could seriously threaten their existence.

The Indian author, Vandana Shiva, highly active on this front wrote a controversial book called Water Wars where she states in nine principles why access to water is a democratic right.  According to her “ since nature gives water to us free of cost, buying and selling it for profit violates our inherent right to nature’s gift and denies the poor of their human rights” (Source: http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/VANOVEDR/). When companies decide to privatize water is highly questionable from a moral point of view considering the potential lethal consequences it could have on the poor and thirsty. Currently, countries around the world that have important debts, suffer great pressure from the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund in order to privatize their water systems. Vandana Shiva goes as far as calling privatizing water “ecological terrorism” (Source: http://baltimorechronicle.com/2010/030910Lendman.shtml). Those in favor argue that governments have not enough funding in order to fully cover the sanitation of the water systems and therefore, the quality worsens and the water is becoming dangerous for citizens to drink.

This debate over water privatization has become a real hot topic in the United States where there has been an increasing worry about the quality of tap water in America. Government resources for the water sectors are not enough and most water systems in America need to be replaced or repaired. Water privatization has become the alternative solution to the lack of funding in order to improve the public system.  “In the U.S. rather than allocating public funds for investing in public water systems, local governments have removed legal and regulatory restrictions that prohibit private operation of publicly owned utilities” (Source: http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=99838). The pace of privatization in the United States reflects the ongoing trend of the entire world: in many cases governmental initiatives have given a helping hand to private companies in order to acquire smaller public utilities.  Instead of taking measure to install programs and initiatives for water conservation and preservation, governments prefer to liberate themselves from this burden and pass it on to the private sectors. The pro privatization camp argues increasing efficiency and the improvement of the service quality as arguments in favor of taking over water supplies.

The bottled water industry has taken advantage of the momentum and “water resources in Wiconsin and Michigan have been targeted by giant bottled water companies like Perrier” (Source: http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/general/). Initiatives like the “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign (see video above) are challenging the corporate control of water and reminding citizens that trusting a giant profit driven corporations like Nestlé with our water supply might not be the safest option.

It is inevitable to wonder if a private company can have an incentive to bring water to poor rural areas. Restaurants, communities, schools and businesses all over the United States have taken the “Think Outside the Bottle” pledge in order to fight for water sovereignty and to discourage the waste of plastic water bottles marketed by the world’s largest corporations in order to gradually gain control and access of rivers, wells and water supply systems. “ From celebrity chef Mario Batali’s Del Posto in New York City to Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkley, California, restaurants are now serving tap instead of bottled water” (Source: http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/restaurants-think-outside-bottle). The transition is raising customer awareness about waste and showing everyone that bottles with tap water are just as good and trendy as a plastic water bottle.

Should human beings have the right to transform nature’s most vital element into a mere commodity to be marketed and sold like any other product? Can moral ethics find a place in a business driven logic? While people continue to debate about water privatization, the quantity of accessible potable water is continuing to lower everyday. How can giant corporations take over local rivers or lakes without a real concern for what the population wants? If water quality is deteriorating in many states and local governments lack funding in order to ameliorate service, what options do we have left?