Mary Robinson - Outside Reading Reflection 3

Water is a basic human need and essential for life, making it a valuable resource. With the increasing demand for water, the debate on the privatization of water versus public water has become a critical issue. I found the documentary that we watched in class that explained the debate between public and private water very interesting. While water privatization can increase efficiency in the management and distribution of water resources, it was crazy how people in favor of privatization also tried to justify their stance by claiming that the government was corrupt and wasn’t going to do right by society. This came across to me almost as them saying “we’re the lesser of two evils.” In reality, the privatization of water can lead to increased costs for consumers and decreased access to water resources for marginalized communities. Private companies often prioritize profits over universal access to water, which could lead to higher prices and reduced quality for low-income families. Private companies also prioritize profit-making over maintaining existing infrastructure or expanding access to under-served areas. Privatization of water can also have negative environmental impacts. Private companies prioritize profit-making over sustainability, which could lead to the over-extraction of water resources, pollution, and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. The provision of public water resources is critical to ensuring universal access to clean water at an affordable cost, and to protecting the environment for future generations.