I would like for each of us to stop and think for a second, what is the world without water? Of course the first thing that comes to mind is death, disease and starvation. Aside from that, I would like to say that everyone has the power to make a difference in this world. So as I take you through this journey of water sharing, remember that it’s for the better of the people.
One thing that strikes me is how much this world is turning towards destruction. As more and more major companies in the U.S privatize water, I can only stop and say, “we got to put a stop to this!” Instead of sitting there and watching the world burn, we must make it known in our workplace. My plan in this conflict is to start by making donation boxes that would catch people’s attention. Putting a powerful image on the cover of the box is one way to make it happen. Then, at the end of the donation period, the store with the most donation would be granted to go to a concert. The focus will eventually fall into people feeling bad for the poor. Making them wanting to donate.
Torbi, a small village in northern Kenya have been lucky enough to get help from a Christian rock band, Jars of Clay. They built a catchment system to collect fresh water in the desert. Moreover, the ability to start a mission is hard enough, but with great passion comes great success. In 2001, lead vocalist Dan Haseltine visited Malawi and saw villagers drinking dirty water from mud pools. This inspired Haseltine to start the Blood:Water Mission. Haseltine says, “Not only is clean water vital in 3rd world countries, but it helps the communities a lot. It also decreases HIV/AIDS rate (Academic Search Premier).
Companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestle use Michigan well-water to suck up millio...
... middle of paper ...
...ce to make a change, if the companies don’t take immediate action. After all, we all are humans and need water to survive. No bell rings truer than the one that reaches out to people and gives a helping hand.
Works Cited
Christianity Today. "CLEAN WATER, CLEAN BLOOD." Jars of Clay is well on the way to bringing fresh water to 1,000 African communities Vol. 53.11 (2009): 33-34. Academic Search Premier. Database. 25 Nov 2013.
Interlandi, Jeneen, and Ryan Tracy. “THE NEW OIL.” Newsweek 10/18/2010, Vol. 156 Issue 16, p40-46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Samson, Kevin. "The Privatization of Water: Nestlé Denies that Water is a Fundamental Human Right." Global Research. Global Research, 27 Jun 2013. Web. 27 Nov 2013.
VanOverbeke, Dustin. "Water Privatization Conflicts." academic.evergreen.edu. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2013.
Water has long been a controversy in countless places worldwide and Colorado is no exception. The water rights in Colorado involve different stages within the Prior Appropriation Law; the senior and junior water rights. Senior water rights are privileges that were the first to be issued on unappropriated streams in Colorado and are to be filled before the junior water right holders. Junior water rights are similar to senior water rights, but are filled after the senior water holders take their allotted amount (Wolfe Prior Appropriation Law). The water in Colorado is just that; Colorado’s water, owned by the people and restricted by the state. However, Colorado is required by law to send over 30 million acre – feet of water to seven western states (“Missouri River”). An acre – foot is “The quantity of water required to fill one acre with one foot of water and is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,850 gallons” (“Missouri River”). The State enforces all water laws in Colorado even though they are not straightforward and are riddled with loopholes. These water laws came into effect “As early as 1879” (Hundley, Jr. 53). In the laws, there are even more constraints and idiosyncrasies including; owning ground water, owning surface water, senior rights and junior rights, and the use and reuse of rainwater or graywater. Water users in Colorado need to familiarize themselves with the laws and regulations involving water in order to receive the allotted water and the reasoning behind that number.
Maude Barlow’s “Water Incorporated: The Commodification of the World’s Water” gives a voice to a very real but vastly unknown issue: the privatization of water. I refer to it as vastly unknown because it wasn’t until this article that I was even aware such a power struggle existed. Barlow first introduces startling statistics, meant to grab the attention of its reader. Once she has your attention, she introduces the “new generation of trade and investment agreements.” (306) This includes referencing many different acronyms such as, FTAA, NAFTA, GTAA and WWF. FTAA, NAFTA, and GTAA are the villains of this story. Simply put, the privatization of water would end in socioeconomic turmoil and dehydration worldwide.
“Don’t waste that water! Kids in Africa don’t even have water to drink!” Almost every American has heard this saying before. We have heard this because there are water shortages in third world countries like Africa, as seen in the movie “Blue Gold”. But why have we developed this notion that there are only water shortages in third world countries? When in reality, there is a shortage of water right here in our home country. The Colorado River’s water is high in demand as it serves millions of people, powers industries, and is home to all different kinds of wildlife. The Colorado River will not be able to keep up with the increasing demand of water and soon enough the river will go dry. Organizations like the Colorado River Water Users Association are trying to change the way that the water is used and adjust how it is managed. The Colorado River is drying up and the western states are running out of water, however, public policy is trying to regulate and preserve the Colorado River to make it more sustainable in the future.
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
For Nestlé Corporation during such crisis, water was still a commodity to be sold in the open market. Nestlé drained 80 million gallons of water a year from Sacramento aquifers during the time of crisis of record drought. The mayor of Sacramento city gave the rights to Nestlé for significantly less amount to bottle the water and sell it for outrageous profits while the people of California suffered tragic draught situation. Nestlé Water Company paid 65 cents per 750 gallons of water to the city of Sacramento. This means, for 215,000 gallons of water the company paid $186. This water is sold for $2.1 million USD, resulting in a difference of 10,000% of what it should cost and what people paid. People were upset because of the lack of regulation and control when a giant corporation is taking their water for minting money. There were rallies organized in Sacramento and other parts of California. The mayor of Sacramento should have been more concerned about managing the public water resources properly rather than giving corporations the opportunity to bottle it, in fact the corporations should understand the responsibility to manage water wisely. Nestlé was even given a tax break and wasn’t required to pay the commercial rate for the water which it sold back to people at humungous
Water privatization is putting water rights into private corporations. In developing countries privatization is acceptable but in developed countries water should be left to the public. In the developed countries like the US, France and Europe water is controlled by the public and private companies or corporations. Water remains a function of municipal government in 90% of cities around the US and Suez Environment and Veolia Water are the top two water companies.2 The consensus throughout the US is that water should be the publics responsibility because water in privately owned water facilities is more expensive and in some cases below standards and less desirable.6 People in the US want to keep their water in their hands because they feel better knowing that people like them control and consume the same water as they do and not people who do not. Putting water in the control of private companies has some less desirable effects on the public. These organizations have a profit motive with incentives that cause them to avoid conservation and efficiency measures since profits depend upon volu...
Americans go to the sink knowing with a simple flip of the nosil, clean water will magically appear. It is often presumed that clean water is a given and it is never acknowledged that saving water in one country could evidently help another country's water...
Every 15 seconds a child dies from a water related illness. There are countries all around the world that do not have access to food, clean water, and shelter. I believe that everywhere in the world should be provided with the supplies they need. There should be a law made in every country to ensure that people get the support they need to live with relative comfort. They need to be able to have enough food to at least have three meals a day. In some places around the world, people are lucky to get one meal a day. They also need to supply those people with fresh water if needed. Some of the water that people drink will cause diseases because it is contaminated with bacteria. Nine million people die a year due to lack of access to clean water. Too many people have either a nonfunctional shelter or no shelter at all. Whatever it takes, the access of food, clean water, and shelter should be supplied to anyone who needs it. There is a problem, however, that occurs. Some countries are poorer than others, so there are more people with these needs in those countries. This causes the help from other countries, and for charities to be formed to help those in need.
"Water Crisis." World Water Council. 7th World Water Council, 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/library/archives/water-crisis/
One main causes of water scarcity is water mismanagement worldwide. Water mismanagement has become a crisis of governance that will impact heavily ...
Water is an essential nutrient that our body requires every day. Without water human life cannot be sustained. Water deprivation kills faster than lack of any other nutrient. People do not think of water as a nutrient and don’t realize the important role of water in the body functions.
Water is pure and a transparent liquid that is vital for all humans, plants and animals on the planet. In the United States, people have access to clean drinking water and clean sanitation systems, not like in other parts of the world where clean safe drinking water is getting scarce. A lot of people don’t have access to it, and many regions are suffering severe drought. Yet, humans take it for granted, they don’t appreciate that a reliable clean supply of water is essential to human health, economy and agricultural prosperity. Having clean and safe potable water is a right and not a privilege. Some individuals don’t appreciate the advantage of having clean water available at
Water is the most priceless resource on our planet. Billions of gallons flow through our rivers and lakes. Millions of gallons are consumed by humans each day. Our world’s surface is seventy percent water. With so much water around us, how can 1.1 billion people still lack access to clean water (Cooper, Water Shortages)? People are already using fifty four percent of all the freshwater available on this planet (Cooper, Water Shortages). We cannot afford to neglect something so essential to our very survival. We must defend our most important natural resource—water.
“Water is the lifeblood of this planet. Every time a good is bought or sold there is a virtual exchange of water. Every time we interact with water, we change it, redirect it, or otherwise alter its state. We have never learned how to efficiently manage water.”(Cluckie, 2009) Ian Cluckie, Professor of Hydrology and Water Management, emphasizes the fact that humans can’t survive without water. Although water is a renewable resource that can replenish under hydrological cycles, our intervention has interrupted its natural cycle causing its supply to decrease.(Cluckie, 2009)
Many people around the world need water. Around 780 million people are unable to get clean water (One Billion Affected). People who do have access to clean water in their homes, have to pay a fee. The people who struggle to live obviously do not have enough money to buy water. People who are unable to have clean water have a good chance of dying either from disease or from dehydration. At least 3.4 million people die a year from water problems such as sanitation (One Billion Affected).