The case against bottled water

If any of the people who invented water piping and filtration systems would come back from their graves today, they would probably be surprised at how humanity has somehow taken two steps back as regards water management.

Here we are, possessing advanced knowledge in harvesting water that were previously inaccessible to communities, and bringing them to where they could be treated to become potable. And yet, we have relinquished control of water systems to corporate interests.

That the bottles are plastic are another travesty, too. They pose health dangers if used repeatedly, and would require a lot of resources if they are to be recycled. Unlike water from the faucet, bottled water has an expiry date, because chemicals from the plastic container may seep to the drinking water over time. This effect may be accelerated when the bottles are exposed to sunlight or extreme heat. Among such chemicals are phthalates, benzene, and trihalomethanes. It is quite ironic, considering the main marketing message of bottling companies is about the purity and safety of their product.

These bottles are made of materials that are not biodegradable, and will take so long to decompose. That is, if they are even disposed of properly. A lot also gets thrown into the ocean, endangering marine life, and contributing to the imbalance in our ecosystem.

Even if we have the best intentions – such as bringing the used bottles to recycling facilities, in the end we continue to patronize businesses that profit from privatizing what should be a public utility.

Today, companies like Nestle and Coca-Cola have the gall to enter communities, put our water – which we all should own – in bottles, which we then gladly pay for. It is ridiculous. For as long as they launch a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project that is very easily funded, they can get their permits, and the impact of their operations would far outweight whatever benefit there is from their programs. Some of these companies even get tax breaks.

In California, Nestle’s CEO was even quoted as saying his company is not about to stop bottling water, citing the demand: “It’s driven by consumer demand, it’s driven by an on-the-go society that needs to hydrate.” And if this is coming from the companies themselves, then maybe we could all do something.

Nothing will happen if we keep at our old ways of consuming water. Change should come from every household, from every person.