water scarcity-thoughts on "A World without Water" documentary

So about six months ago I watched an amazingly interesting documentary about the scarcity of water. In the documentary, A World Without Water, the main message is “water is the most important thing”. The documentary takes you through the lives of people in countries all over the world from the South American country of Bolivia to the South East Asian country of India right to a city in one of the world’s richest countries, America. The documentary shows the less developed world’s struggle for water. Juxtaposed, it shows you the struggle of a woman in America, a country that is one of the largest water consumers in the world and one of the contributors to the idea of water privatization, a key aspect of this documentary. How can a country like America that is so large and powerful contribute to the greedy notion of water being a commodity when people within the country’s own borders have water scarcity issues? In my opinion, the world’s richest countries are creating a global disaster by commoditizing one of the world’s scarcest and most vital resources.

1 billion people around the world don’t have access to clean water (approximately the population of the entire country of China). This is a staggering statistic that is only going to get worse. According to the film, approximately 1/3 of the world’s population lives under water stress. Within 45 years, it is estimated this statistic will increase to half the world’s population. So what the people in Bolivia, Tanzania and India are facing now in vast numbers, will be experienced by half the world’s population in less than half a century. Water commoditization will affect not only the developing world but the developed world, the one who came up with the idea. I would like to say it would be nice to give the developed world a taste of their own medicine but the idea is scary that in 45 years even the world’s richest countries will be struggling to find safe accessible water. The film definitely made me think twice about the comfortable little bubble that I live in with bottled drinking water at the tip of my fingers. I felt so spoiled as I watched that film, ironically with a bottle of water in my bag right next to me. It made me think of my dad’s family that lives in the Middle East. They laugh at me when I refuse to drink tap water when I visit them; little do they know that I do not even drink tap water in the U.S. It is interesting how drinking bottled water to them has a social stigma attached to it. It made me feel guilty for taking for granted something that comes easily out of a pipe when I turn the faucet on when thousands of people have to walk miles before they find a little water; water that is contaminated too no less.
The documentary does a great job of making one think twice and appreciate what one has. We are so priveledged to live in one of the richest and powerful countries in the world. Yet, the reality is that water scarcity is knocking on our door. Most people assume that the developed world has everything it needs and we do for the most part. However, the woman in Detroit that is in the documentary owed thousands of dollars to the water company and is living proof that the developed world has their issues too.
The social, economic, physical and mental effects of not having access to clean drinking water are devastating. The scene of the little girl from Bolivia crying because kids at school would not play with her over the lack of water in her house is simply heartbreaking. Aside from the fact that little girl is being emotionally scarred, her body is being exposed to physical dangers as well. She is not being properly hydrated and furthermore, she is at risk for diseases and malnutrition. In 2000, the United Nations vowed to improve the lives of everyone worldwide through the Millennium Development Goals. So, why is it that nearly ten years later we are looking at a little girl in Bolivia crying every night or a farmer in India losing his crops due to lack of water? I find it absolutely atrocious that water is still being debated as a basic human right.
The rich world thinks making water a commodity is ok. The idea is if transnational corporations control water it will make it more efficient. However, as stated in the film, the greed of privatization is much worse for the water crisis than climate change itself. Well of course it is. With the price of fresh water growing constantly, water will soon be higher than gas. As it is already, people can not afford the monthly fees that these water privatized companies are charging let alone the turn-on fee. The Bolivian man’s yearly salary was less than what the company required for the turn-on fee. That is just appalling. How can people afford water if it more than their yearly salary? Something that man said really struck me in a way that I can’t explain and I do not even know why. He said “we are Bolivian and that is Bolivian water yet we can’t use it”. The profound meaning of that statement is just jaw-dropping in my opinion. Like I already stated, why this is even an issue because water is supposed to be a basic human right is beyond me. We should not be fighting with transnational corporation like the people of Tanzania did over water. Water was created by God and God created humans. To me this means, that no human is better than the other. No corporation’s profits are more important than a human’s God given right to water. We are not discussing a man made item and determining it’s legitimacy for everyone around the world. We are talking about something that is bigger than any individual; bigger than any corporation- we are talking about a gift from a higher power. No transnational corporation’s greed should trump that.
With that being said that water was not man made so men should not fight over it, now more than ever I am really happy I do not drink soda, especially Coca-Cola. I think it is appalling what Coca-Cola is doing in India. Ok yes, they set up a factory which created new jobs in India but they are harming something far more important and vital in India. The company began pumping water from the aquifers when they set up a factory in India in order to make the soft drinks and the water levels have been dropping at drastic rates as a result of this. Nobody NEEDS a beverage that is full of sugar and unnecessary calories that essentially does nothing to keep them nourished, clean or healthy. However, everyone does NEED water. Why is Coca-Cola allowed to go into countries that already live in sub-standard conditions and take a basic essential away from the people of that country all in the name of transnational corporations push for globalization?
A World Without Water is an eye-open documentary that really makes one think more carefully about the repercussions one’s actions have on society. Before watching this film, I already knew that water was becoming scarcer due to the effects of global warming, the increase in the world’s population as well as the increase of the consumption of water. However, what I never considered was the role of transnational corporations being more harmful than global warming. It is absolutely appalling that we allow water to be debated as a basic human right when it should just be granted automatically. There are so many statistics in the world that sometimes we just ignore them. But out of all of those statistics, this is one that struck me the hardest. I have encouraged my friends and family to make more conscientious decisions when it comes to water usage. Furthermore, I have asked them to stop purchasing coca-cola products as a sign of solidarity and sympathy for the people in India and all over the world that this is happening to.