Does Selling Water Makes Sense?

[alex moncion]

All throughout the history, water was free. The Roman Empire had huge aqueduct systems to insure clean water for their people, so why would we start selling water now?
More than one in six people lack access to clean water. Huge companies will sell water to poor countries and people who don't have clean water. The water privatization industry is a trillion dollar industry but I think they're making money in the wrong place. Public water is a human right. If we don't act right now people will continue die from waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. I believe water privatization by corporations is not the solution to the global water crisis. We need public supply of water for everyone. Clean water will strengthen public health which will increase public revenue. This is very important for a developing country that needs healthy people to end the cycle of poverty. After all this information, ask yourself. Does selling water make sense?

[Kailen Pollitt]

Your points are valid. Water was and should be free, and with the crisis, we should be learning to clean the water we have and use less. Instead, large companies waste their time and resources trying to sell water. Instead of devoting time and resources to finding ways to clean water, that could be sold to developing countries for a lot of money, they pour chemicals into is and try to sell it for ten times its regular price. It doesn’t make sense. By buying a bottle of water, expensive as it is, you buy a bottle of contaminants that supports a big company to ruin the natural environment? Uprooting and displacing people and animals, putting dams in place of natural water flow, just so a company can profit from something that rightfully belongs to everyone? If I had to ask myself whether or not selling water makes sense, I would say it doesn’t. It’s like selling air or mountains; it just doesn’t make sense.