Documentary: The World Without Water

[Walter]

Watch it for free (broadband required): http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-without-water/

I watched this last night. It starts with a poor family in Bolivia who have to fetch their water from a not-so-nearby well, interview a few water company officials, and tells the stories of other water-poor people - including residents of Detroit! I have to say it's not as well done as http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/flow-for-love-of-water/, but it's still eye-opening. Basically, it comes down to poor people being shut off from clean water as the water supplies get taken over by moneyed interests.

Who cares about a few poor people who can't pay for a municipal water connection? We all should, because, not only because of human concern for the poor - about a third of which are water poor/deprived according to the film - but because commodifying water makes water available only from a municipal water pipe. What about ever-rising water rates and its impact on those on fixed incomes? Can't happen here? Then how did 40+ thousand water users get shut off in Detroit? AND still get billed for service they did not use? The specter of water privatization is something we should all carefully monitor and fight against.

What about natural disasters (or terrorism) when the water pipe doesn't provide water? Should we be concerned about having access to a potable water well for emergency use? Is it conceivable that, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, a disaster so pervasive should hit this locality that food and water are hard to find? If another hurricane Andrew should hit Florida, we'd have another opportunity to see how well we'd do. In this country we have good infrastructure for help to get to us, but I believe that reading on the relief efforts for Andrew and Katrina show that all is not hot coffee and donuts - there were episodes of serious deprivation in the affected areas despite supplies being relatively close by.

Water is so important, yet so taken for granted. We must be watchful of where our water comes from and how clean it is. It's as important as air. Wouldn't you be concerned if governments started talking about "managing," regulating, and ultimately charging for clean air to be delivered to your homes? I hope so. Likewise, when governments start taking away your water options - as with this planned ASR well here in Rockledge - we should stop the City from taking our aquifer resource and property right.

Please watch the film and share your thoughts.