This week I had an opportunity to watch the award winning documentary Flow, which premiered at the Sundance Film festival in 2008, and is now available on DVD.  The film focuses on the worldwide fresh water crisis, and raises the question of water ownership.  Is fresh drinking water a basic human right, or something that can be bottled and sold at a premium?

If I had not already chosen sustainable agriculture as the cause I will go to battle for, the fight for fresh water would be a close contender for my activist intentions.  Since water management and agriculture go hand in hand, I can’t fight for one without inherently fighting for the other.  Conventional farming is largely responsible for the pollution of the water supply, as well as the depletion of groundwater.  With almost 70% of the world’s fresh water supply being used for agriculture, the need for a regulated system of sustainable food production has never been greater.

Flow shows how corporate greed and political corruption have contributed to the daily struggles of the world’s poorest populations.  The images of debris filled waterways that once flowed clean, lines of people gathered around one water pump hoping that today there will be fresh water, and the stories of thousands of people who die each day from drinking tainted water were heartbreaking.  What enraged me was the fact that this problem is man made and perpetuated by policies of the World Bank and the IMF, which favor water privatization over water rights.  I often found myself cursing at the lack of conscience and compassion displayed by the water company big wigs, and the lack of common sense displayed by judges that rule in their favor.  It is the kind of irresponsible behavior that will lead the common man to rise-up in revolt, to take back what should be rightfully theirs – nature’s gift of clean water.

The story left me feeling confused and torn over my own role.  As one of the many consumers of bottled drinking water, my dollars are supporting the unconscionable behavior of the water companies.  However, as a resident of Southern California, the tap water I use is largely imported from Northern California and the Colorado River, which in turn depletes the resources of those watershed areas.  Since Southern California does not have a self-sustained supply of water, is it more responsible for me to drink from the bottle or the tap?

On March 22nd 2009, students and families from several different area high schools will be participating in 5k San Diego Walk for Water, to celebrate World Water Day.  The walk, in which participants will be asked to carry water jugs, is intended to symbolize the daily journey many women and children in water stressed countries must make to provide clean water for their families.  More information is available online.