Term 3 Week 2 (Blogging Assignment)

Is there a difference between treating water as a human right and as a commodity? In your opinion, should water be treated as a human right or as a commodity?

Water is definitely the most important source of our lives. Even as a large percentage of our Earth is filled with water, only 3% of this water is drinkable water. With the added on problem of pollution caused by us, humans, this valuable resource is quickly depleting. Now, rich and developed countries are able to buy themselves this resource, while developing and poorer countries have to face droughts and undesirable conditions which deplete their water resource. Water, to human is becoming more of a commodity.

There is definitely a difference between treating water as a human resource and as a commodity. Humans are unable to live without water. It is a fact that an average human cannot survive without water for a period of time longer than three days. Why then, with water being treated as something only the rich can afford, do the poor not have the right to live? Every human has the right to live, no matter what his/her social status is, no matter how rich one is. There is no valid reason why only the rich should be given the chance to survive. Water is essential for our lives. While beverages like expensive wine, soft drinks are consumed by us as a luxury, water is a human resource, definitely not a privilege only to be consumed by the rich.

As Herbert Spencer had once quoted, "Survival of the fittest". While many view life to be a battle of who is more capable of living, where the richest can get the most benefits, and thus the more chance of living the next day. This is why the poor is called the "poor". Being poor means that you would not enjoy the many benefits one can get from having a decently rich life. However, does this ideology imply that the poor do not deserve a chance to live their life? Even the less fortunate are human beings, and all human beings should get the chance to live to the next day.

Water is the Earth's resource. Water belongs to all Earthlings. It should not be treated as a commodity but a human resource, as all of us deserve to survive.