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"Water" |
"I will bless the thirsty land by sending rivers of water. . ." -- Psalm 1
We take water for granted, until there isn't any! Think of your experiences of times when the water was "off." As you reflect on your feelings when you had no running water, see if you would agree with the following beliefs. Unfortunately, not everyone does.1
"I believe that water belongs to the earth and to all species."
The World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and many international corporations believe that water is a commodity to be taken and sold to the highest bidder.2
"I believe that an adequate supply of clean water is a basic human right."
Underdeveloped countries are forced to use their water supplies as collateral for WB or IMF loans. The local people cannot pay for their own water, the price is too high.3
"I believe that water is a public trust to be guarded at all levels of government."
Currently in the US, water is not protected at all levels of government. Recent EPA directives have rescinded many of the Clean Water policies developed during the last 30 years. Local ordinances frequently give preferential treatment to industry, highways and developers when questions of pollution and destruction of wetlands and waterways arise.
"I believe that water must be conserved for all times."
Water conservation is not a priority in the US at this time. The UN considers the minimum amount of water needed for survival (for drinking, cooking, washing, crops and livestock) to be 8 gallons per day per person; the optimal amount, 13 gal. The average use in Gambia is 1.2 gal; in Mali, 2 gal; in England, 53 gal; in the US, 132 gal.4 A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) projects that by 2025, water scarcity will cause annual global losses of 350 million metric tons of potential food production, slightly more than the entire current U.S. grain crop. In other words, it now appears that one of the main factors limiting future food production will be water.5
"I believe that water is best protected in natural watersheds."
Natural watersheds and wetlands are under constant threat from development. Streams are buried or channeled into cement culverts, and wetlands are filled in for building sites. Heavy water usage upstream can cause streams and wetlands to disappear, with resulting loss of natural water filtration and breeding grounds for many species.
"I believe that polluted water must be reclaimed."
Taxpayers, not polluters, are expected to pay the cost of cleanup and purification of polluted water. Does this seem right to you?
""Consumption in the world's richest countries can take a great but often hidden toll on distant peoples and places."6 Let our beliefs about "Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and pure."7 help us to be conscious of the effects our behavior and our national policies have on our human brothers and sisters as well as on all non-human species throughout the world.
~Sr. Pat McCabe, O.P.
" The earth is a gift from God. We, as trustees and stewards, have a responsibility to care for what we have received, to share it, to conserve it for the future and not merely be consumers and users." -- Pope John Paul II, World Peace Day Message, The Care of the Planet, 1990.
At its May, 2005, meeting the Eco-Justice Committee of the Dominican Alliance will be focused on world water supplies. Alliance Congregations will have opportunities to study and implement programs to protect the world's water and distribute it justly.
Footnotes:
(1) http://www.ofm-jpic.org/aqua/dl/english/water_en.pdf
(2) Plunder and Profit In These Times March 04, 2004 by David Moberg
(3) http://www.devp.org/testA/current/fiche03_e.pdf
(4) New Internationalist Magazine, March 2003
(5) "The Global Water Outlook to 2025: Averting an Impending Crisis"
(6) From: Linking Globalization, Consumption, and Governance. World Watch Magazine July/August 2004
(7) Canticle of the Creatures, St. Francis of Assisi