According to the World Bank, two-thirds of the world’s population will run short of fresh drinking water by 2025. In anticipation of this crisis, government officials worldwide are following the money by transferring the control of water from the public sector to the private.
The recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan, exemplifies a future in which corporate profits are prioritized over the lives of millions of people. Millions of Flint residents—an area with high poverty rates and largely populated by people of color—were knowingly exposed to contaminants like lead after Michigan’s governor changed their water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. While the health of Flint residents was compromised for years, corporations such as Nestle were bottling water from Lake Huron for sale around the country.
Did Flint residents have the right to access clean drinking water, or should access to clean water sources like Lake Huron be passed to the highest bidder? Join us for a Public Square discussion on whether access to water is a basic human right.
On Thursday, April 21, at noon in Butch’s Den, join the Center for Civic Engagement for a Public Square discussion about water privatization. Pullman students should register for this event on CougSync. Global Campus students can join the discussion on CCE’s YouTube channel. Public Square discussions are free and open to the public. To learn more about the Public Square initiative, visit https://cce.wsu.edu.
