A few years ago, buying bottled water was not very common. Today, it is a $15 billion industry in the U.S alone. American consumers have become obsessed with “the bottle” and this new obsession is not about cleaner, safer water, but about keeping up with the “water trend”. So next time you grab a water bottle think again. Think about the millions of people who don’t have potable water and what you are doing to contribute to this problem.
Bottled water companies are privatizing water by claiming water rights in many countries around the world. These companies are buying the land where water streams are located and are selling something that is meant to be free. The Fiji Natural Artesian Water Company imports water from the Fiji islands, where people are struggling to find potable water.
“It is the lack of water, the privatization of water, the diversion of water from some of its natural purposes into a commodity we can buy and sell”, said Dominican Sister Patricia Siemen, an attorney who directs the Center for Earth Jurisprudence, a collaborative project between Miami’s two Catholic universities, St. Thomas and Barry at a conference that took place last month.
In an effort to increase their profits, American bottled water companies have launched a campaign alerting U.S consumers of the dangers of drinking tap water. These companies are concerned with the well being of millions of Americans but don’t care about the people who they are leaving without water.
“Haiti’s water quality was ranked 101 out of 122 countries”, said Teresita Gonzalez, coordinator of Amor en Acción (Love in Action), a missionary group that reaches out to the poorest regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. “Haiti has only 48 % potable water coverage”, she adds.
These are the people who need water purifiers not the people the bottled water companies cater to. According to the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department the quality of our drinking water is “first rate”. Exceeding both state and federal drinking water standards. The water is tested more than 100,000 times a year and has won the “Best Tasting Water” distinction issued by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association two years in a row (2005-2006).
“I’ve been drinking tap water for 53 years and look at me, I’m in perfect health”, said Jose Medina, 77, who moved to Miami from Cuba in 1954. “My kids grew up drinking tap water and we never had any problems”, he adds.
Most developed countries have high quality drinking water that is subjected to the same treatments as bottled water. The bottled water companies were bottling tap water from public sources and selling it. Aquafina (Pepsi) and Dasani (Coca-Cola) were both accused of selling tap water in the U.S and Britain. In a scientific study done by ABC’s 20/20, tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City was tested and compared to five bottled water brands. The scientists couldn’t find a different.
“I only drink bottled water”, said Teresa Martinez, mother of two toddler girls who says she can tell the difference between the good stuff’. “I feel more at peace knowing my girls are drinking clean water”, she adds.
Not only should Americans worry about water resources outside the U.S, but in their own back yards. Every year, water restrictions are implemented in various parts of the country due to the over consumption of water and lack of rain. About 80percent of Florida’s population lives south of Orlando, but only 44 percent of the rain falls in that southern portion. Similarly, the Great Lakes hold 95 percent of the U.S.’s fresh water, but only 8 percent of the population lives there. According to the Center for Earth Jurisprudence, human beings need a minimum of 13 gallons of water per day. Floridians on average use 174 gallons per person per day, with the Sarasota area at the low end with 90 gallons and Orange County at the high end with 250 gallons. The U.S. average is 180 gallons per person per day.
“What we do together about this water crisis not only affects us. It’s about people in Haiti and people throughout the world,” Gonzalez said.
For more information:
• Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department: www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/wasd/
• Center for Earth Jurisprudence: www.earthjuris.org.
Photos courtesy of: Teresita Gonzalez
Tasting 1: Got it wrong.
Tasting 2: Got it wrong and then admitted not being able to tell the difference.
Tasting 3: Got it wrong and then admitted not being able to tell the difference.
Tasting 4: Got it right. She would only drink tap water.
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