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Whose Water Is It, Anyway?: Taking Water Protection into Public Hands
“Maude Barlow is one of our planet’s greatest water defenders.” ― Naomi Klein, bestselling author of This Changes Everything and The Shock Doctrine “This book is a blueprint for communities around the world to take back that responsibility and maintain water as a human right.” ― David Suzuki “This is a must-read.” ― Jane Fonda A call to action from former Senior Advisor on Water to the U.N., honorary chairperson of the Council of Canadians, chair of Washing-based Food and Water Watch, and councillor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council The Blue Communities Project is dedicated to three primary that access to clean, drinkable water is a basic human right; that municipal and community water will be held in public hands; and that single-use plastic water bottles will not be available in public spaces. With its simple, straightforward approach, the movement has been growing around the world for a decade. Today, Paris, Berlin, Bern, and Montreal are just a few of the cities that have made themselves Blue Communities. In Whose Water Is It, Anyway? , renowned water justice activist Maude Barlow recounts her own education in water issues as she and her fellow grassroots water warriors woke up to the immense pressures facing water in a warming world. Concluding with a step-by-step guide to making your own community blue, Maude Barlow’s latest book is a heartening example of how ordinary people can effect enormous change.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2019
13 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Maude Barlow
45 books33 followersMaude Barlow is the bestselling author of 20 books. She sits on the board of Food & Water Watch, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, and is a counselor with the World Future Council. She served as senior water advisor to the UN General Assembly and was a leader in the campaign to have water recognized as a human right. She is the recipient of fourteen honorary doctorates, the Right Livelihood Award and is the current chancellor of Brescia University. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 2, 2019
I have read the headlines and news articles:
In Detroit, surviving without water has become a way of life, 2018 Bridge Magazine article headline
ACLU Petitions State to Stop Detroit Water Shut Offs, 2019 Michigan Public Radio story
Water Shut Offs Could Reach 17,000 Households, 2018 Detroit Free Press article
According to the EPA, an affordable water bill costs about 4.5 percent of a household’s monthly income, but metro Detroiters are paying around 10 percent. 2019 Curbed Detroit article
My own water/sewer bill in the Detroit suburbs has doubled over ten years. We have installed low water toilets and appliances and we don't water the grass in summer. We have four rain barrels to water the gardens.
Luckily, we can pay our water bill. I can't imagine how people survive without reliable, clean, tap water. People who can't afford water like thousands in Detroit--and across the world. People like those in Flint and Oscoda other Michigan communities whose tap water is polluted with lead and PFAS.
In Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, and embracing 11,000 lakes, we still don't provide clean water to all. In Osceola, Michigan Nestle pumps out our water for $200 a year, but our citizens in vulnerable communities suffer. Where is the justice in this?
Author and water activist Maude Barlow has fought for water justice since 1985 when NAFTA gave Americans access to Canadia's water resources. Alarmed at the implications, Barlow questioned, who owns the water?
In Whose Water Is It Anyway? Barlow celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Blue Communities Project. She describes her personal journey as an activist. She explains how water became privatized and the impact world-wide. Finally, Barlow presents the Blue Communities Project which has been adopted across the world, putting water back into the hands of the people, with sample documents to help local citizens begin their own campaign.
Companies have bought water rights and pumped the groundwater dry across the world. And all those plastic bottles have created a nightmare. Not just as trash--Barlow shares that bottled water testing shows most contain micro-plastic!
I was surprised to learn that the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights did not include access to water as a basic right because seventy years ago it was assumed all people had and would have access to water. Today we know that water is not limitless. Barlow tells how privatization of water takes local water away from citizens to be sold for a profit. In 2015 the UN finally addressed the human right to water. Included is the statement that governments must provide clean water to people, "must refrain from any action or policy, such as water cut-offs," and are obliged to prevent businesses from polluting a community's water.
But to fulfill that promise, citizens must claim the power over their water. Barlow's book tells us how to do that.
I received access to a free ebook through the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
In Detroit, surviving without water has become a way of life, 2018 Bridge Magazine article headline
ACLU Petitions State to Stop Detroit Water Shut Offs, 2019 Michigan Public Radio story
Water Shut Offs Could Reach 17,000 Households, 2018 Detroit Free Press article
According to the EPA, an affordable water bill costs about 4.5 percent of a household’s monthly income, but metro Detroiters are paying around 10 percent. 2019 Curbed Detroit article
My own water/sewer bill in the Detroit suburbs has doubled over ten years. We have installed low water toilets and appliances and we don't water the grass in summer. We have four rain barrels to water the gardens.
Luckily, we can pay our water bill. I can't imagine how people survive without reliable, clean, tap water. People who can't afford water like thousands in Detroit--and across the world. People like those in Flint and Oscoda other Michigan communities whose tap water is polluted with lead and PFAS.
In Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, and embracing 11,000 lakes, we still don't provide clean water to all. In Osceola, Michigan Nestle pumps out our water for $200 a year, but our citizens in vulnerable communities suffer. Where is the justice in this?
Author and water activist Maude Barlow has fought for water justice since 1985 when NAFTA gave Americans access to Canadia's water resources. Alarmed at the implications, Barlow questioned, who owns the water?
In Whose Water Is It Anyway? Barlow celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Blue Communities Project. She describes her personal journey as an activist. She explains how water became privatized and the impact world-wide. Finally, Barlow presents the Blue Communities Project which has been adopted across the world, putting water back into the hands of the people, with sample documents to help local citizens begin their own campaign.
Companies have bought water rights and pumped the groundwater dry across the world. And all those plastic bottles have created a nightmare. Not just as trash--Barlow shares that bottled water testing shows most contain micro-plastic!
I was surprised to learn that the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights did not include access to water as a basic right because seventy years ago it was assumed all people had and would have access to water. Today we know that water is not limitless. Barlow tells how privatization of water takes local water away from citizens to be sold for a profit. In 2015 the UN finally addressed the human right to water. Included is the statement that governments must provide clean water to people, "must refrain from any action or policy, such as water cut-offs," and are obliged to prevent businesses from polluting a community's water.
But to fulfill that promise, citizens must claim the power over their water. Barlow's book tells us how to do that.
I received access to a free ebook through the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
January 8, 2020
“This is a book about hope. It is a story about everyday people defending the water resources of their communities and protecting the broader human right to water by ensuring it is now and forever a public trust, one that must not be allowed to fall under private, for-profit control.”
Whose Water Is It, Anyway? by Maude Barlow is equal parts educational and frustrating. I know, that sounds weird, but I’m not quite sure how else to describe a book that goes over water privatization and commercialization, and how people are fighting back to access clean, fresh water.
This tiny book (it’s only about 125 pages), covers a lot of history: from the rise of corporate water control, to the fight to make access to clean water a basic human right, the formation of Blue Communities, and the rising popularity of water warriors. It’s short and to the point, and wastes no time when explaining how companies took control of water, and how people are starting to fight back.
I’ll admit, the first section of this book is not easy to read. It’s equal parts depressing and infuriating learning about how governments took control of water, upped the price per liter, and essentially starved whole communities of a naturally occurring resource. Some governments in South America even tried to privatize rain water, which is just cruel to think about. By the time you make it through this first section, you’ll be eager to learn how people rally and fight back.
"Wherever water privatization spread, so too did resistance to it."
The author quickly goes over how the right to access water was brought to the United Nations, and incorporated into the Sustainable Development Goals. From there, other organizations took up the fight to ensure access to clean, fresh water, which led to the development of the Blue Communities movement.
These groups began in Canada, which was pleasantly surprising. For fellow Canadian readers, you’ll get a look at what different cities, townships, and provinces are doing across the country, and how these activities helped inspire other countries around the world. From petitioning local governments to banning plastic bottles on university campuses and public spaces, there is no lack of creativity when it comes to fighting against water privatization and ensuring access for all.
Yes, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but in Whose Water Is It, Anyway? you see that it’s not an impossible fight. The author also included resources at the end on how to approach municipal and federal governments, as well as other information.
If you’re looking to educate yourself more on the topic of water—why it’s so expensive, why we should ban single-use plastic bottles, why certain communities have no access to water, and more—pick up this book.
Yes, it’s non-fiction, but it’s written in an accessible way that is easy to understand. I promise you won’t regret reading this title. The topic isn’t exactly fun, but it’s incredibly important.
Thank you to ECW Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Whose Water Is It, Anyway? came out on September 3, 2019, and can be purchased wherever books are sold.
Whose Water Is It, Anyway? by Maude Barlow is equal parts educational and frustrating. I know, that sounds weird, but I’m not quite sure how else to describe a book that goes over water privatization and commercialization, and how people are fighting back to access clean, fresh water.
This tiny book (it’s only about 125 pages), covers a lot of history: from the rise of corporate water control, to the fight to make access to clean water a basic human right, the formation of Blue Communities, and the rising popularity of water warriors. It’s short and to the point, and wastes no time when explaining how companies took control of water, and how people are starting to fight back.
I’ll admit, the first section of this book is not easy to read. It’s equal parts depressing and infuriating learning about how governments took control of water, upped the price per liter, and essentially starved whole communities of a naturally occurring resource. Some governments in South America even tried to privatize rain water, which is just cruel to think about. By the time you make it through this first section, you’ll be eager to learn how people rally and fight back.
"Wherever water privatization spread, so too did resistance to it."
The author quickly goes over how the right to access water was brought to the United Nations, and incorporated into the Sustainable Development Goals. From there, other organizations took up the fight to ensure access to clean, fresh water, which led to the development of the Blue Communities movement.
These groups began in Canada, which was pleasantly surprising. For fellow Canadian readers, you’ll get a look at what different cities, townships, and provinces are doing across the country, and how these activities helped inspire other countries around the world. From petitioning local governments to banning plastic bottles on university campuses and public spaces, there is no lack of creativity when it comes to fighting against water privatization and ensuring access for all.
Yes, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but in Whose Water Is It, Anyway? you see that it’s not an impossible fight. The author also included resources at the end on how to approach municipal and federal governments, as well as other information.
If you’re looking to educate yourself more on the topic of water—why it’s so expensive, why we should ban single-use plastic bottles, why certain communities have no access to water, and more—pick up this book.
Yes, it’s non-fiction, but it’s written in an accessible way that is easy to understand. I promise you won’t regret reading this title. The topic isn’t exactly fun, but it’s incredibly important.
Thank you to ECW Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Whose Water Is It, Anyway? came out on September 3, 2019, and can be purchased wherever books are sold.
September 30, 2019
Whose Water Is It Anyway? Taking Water Protection Into Public Hands is a history of the water conservation and justice movement rooted in anti-privatization and a call to worldwide action. It begins with the neoliberal move toward privatizing public services pushed by conservative governments. For example, in the U.K., the government would not fund infrastructure without the local government agreeing to privatize it. The federal government in Canada tied their water funding to privatization as well, but that was recently reversed, or perhaps given a 90° turn. They still encourage public-private partnerships but do not mandate them. Privatization has resulted in higher prices and degraded water quality and in water being sent off to other markets, bringing on the possibility of future water shortages. Water privatization has spread worldwide.
In addition to the growing privatization of water, there is the exponential growth of people drinking bottled water. People even drink bottled water at home where they have perfectly good tap water.
The next chapter focuses on resistance campaigns to turn back the tide of privatization and push for public ownership and conservation She describes several campaigns around the world, creating a global movement for water justice, pushing the idea that all people have a right to clean, affordable drinking water.
This led to the Blue Communities movement pushing local governing bodies to promise publicly-owned water, recognize water is a right, and ban bottled water on local government properties and events. Barlow traces that movement in Canada and in Europe and its future around the world. The book includes model language for Blue Communities resolutions.
While I was aware of the need for water conservation and of many of the predatory practices of water companies throughout the world. Nestlé tried to grab the water from Cascade Locks here in Oregon and was fought to a standstill. However, this book is a sobering look at how far privatization has penetrated the world water supply and how conservative governments have forced privatization on an unwilling public.
The first two and the last chapters are the most interesting. The many local campaigns were, I am certain, exciting as they happened, but are not the most interesting reading. However, there are some particular local circumstances that provide useful examples for those wishing to make their own hometown a Blue Community. That’s the point of the book, to encourage readers to local action, to spread the Blue Communities movement everywhere. Barlow provides the essentials for anyone wishing to join the movement and work to make their own community Blue.
I received an ARC of Whose Water Is It Anyway? from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
Whose Water Is It Anyway? at ECW Press
Maude Barlow
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
In addition to the growing privatization of water, there is the exponential growth of people drinking bottled water. People even drink bottled water at home where they have perfectly good tap water.
The next chapter focuses on resistance campaigns to turn back the tide of privatization and push for public ownership and conservation She describes several campaigns around the world, creating a global movement for water justice, pushing the idea that all people have a right to clean, affordable drinking water.
This led to the Blue Communities movement pushing local governing bodies to promise publicly-owned water, recognize water is a right, and ban bottled water on local government properties and events. Barlow traces that movement in Canada and in Europe and its future around the world. The book includes model language for Blue Communities resolutions.
While I was aware of the need for water conservation and of many of the predatory practices of water companies throughout the world. Nestlé tried to grab the water from Cascade Locks here in Oregon and was fought to a standstill. However, this book is a sobering look at how far privatization has penetrated the world water supply and how conservative governments have forced privatization on an unwilling public.
The first two and the last chapters are the most interesting. The many local campaigns were, I am certain, exciting as they happened, but are not the most interesting reading. However, there are some particular local circumstances that provide useful examples for those wishing to make their own hometown a Blue Community. That’s the point of the book, to encourage readers to local action, to spread the Blue Communities movement everywhere. Barlow provides the essentials for anyone wishing to join the movement and work to make their own community Blue.
I received an ARC of Whose Water Is It Anyway? from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
Whose Water Is It Anyway? at ECW Press
Maude Barlow
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
May 5, 2024
In Who's Water is it Anyway?, Maude Barlow, of the Council of Canadians, traces the history of water privatization, in the Canadian and international context, linking it to neoliberal economic policy that weakens protections of water rights.
Highlighting community- based and grassroot efforts to resist water privatization and reclaim water as a public good, Barlow focus on the idea of "Blue Communities" -- including municipalities but also institutions like universities, NGOs etc. - that enshrine water rights by adopting a Blue Community framework that:
- recognizes water and sanitation as human rights
- bans or limits the sale of bottled water
- promotes publicly owned and operated water and wastewater services.
See: https://canadians.org/bluecommunities/
Highlighting community- based and grassroot efforts to resist water privatization and reclaim water as a public good, Barlow focus on the idea of "Blue Communities" -- including municipalities but also institutions like universities, NGOs etc. - that enshrine water rights by adopting a Blue Community framework that:
- recognizes water and sanitation as human rights
- bans or limits the sale of bottled water
- promotes publicly owned and operated water and wastewater services.
See: https://canadians.org/bluecommunities/
February 4, 2025
A nice short read on enshrining the right to water in our communities, with a lot of focus on the dangers of water privatization and the lengths that have been taken on a global scale to leverage countries' economic crises into selling off their utilities. There were moments that I wanted the book to go a bit deeper on certain examples rather than look at a lot of examples more briefly, but this approach probably suited the short form factor. Definitely want to check out more from Maude!
February 8, 2021
Important book.
Found some very shocking discoveries in this book.
How some groups sell other people/country's water, have international agreements to local water tables…
I felt the author made a strong case about the detrimental aspects of plastic (bottled water).
Great book for those who care about climate change.
4.6/5
Found some very shocking discoveries in this book.
How some groups sell other people/country's water, have international agreements to local water tables…
I felt the author made a strong case about the detrimental aspects of plastic (bottled water).
Great book for those who care about climate change.
4.6/5
April 27, 2020
This is a fantastic book about the Blue Communities and the efforts they are taking to take back the control of water for our communities and for the environment. I definitely recommend this book as it's very informative and involves a lot of information from around the world! Check out my full review here: http://www.paperdreamsblog.com/br-who...
February 11, 2021
Plot:
Water is an important substance needed to sustain all life on the planet. Yet, governments are allowing private corporations to come into communities and take the water away from the people, to bottle it up and sell it back to them at a higher cost. How is that legal, and why are governments selling water that their community needs? Maude Barlow, a Canadian water activist, talks about the movement people are producing to let their government know that they cannot sell their water out from under them. About everyday people, grassroots campaigns, this novel is not for the naïve, as Barlow explores the demand of water, how Nestle is the worst, and how the Blue Communities Project is something you must force your local municipality into supporting.
Thoughts:
This book is a recommended read for anyone who needs water to survive - which is every living thing. For an extremely short book of fewer than 150 pages and six chapters, Barlow writes for the general adult population to explain why we cannot trust the government to manage our water, and why water must remain public and not privatize. This book explains the Barlow project which is the Blue Communities Project, a Canada born initiative that towns and cities can be apart of if they follow three simple rules:
“1) Recognize and protect water and sanitation as human rights;
2) project water as a public trust by promoting publicly financed, owned, and operated water and wastewater services; and
3) ban or phase out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities and municipal events” (76).
That is all it takes to be a blue community, so why is it that there are only twenty-seven across Canada, and only a handful internationally? Barlow does an incredible job of keeping the narrative of her story going while providing facts about the water crisis that is going to hit the world very soon. Overall, this book is perfect if you want to know why bottled water is so bad if you want to make your community a Blue community, and if you care about people and the planet.
Water is an important substance needed to sustain all life on the planet. Yet, governments are allowing private corporations to come into communities and take the water away from the people, to bottle it up and sell it back to them at a higher cost. How is that legal, and why are governments selling water that their community needs? Maude Barlow, a Canadian water activist, talks about the movement people are producing to let their government know that they cannot sell their water out from under them. About everyday people, grassroots campaigns, this novel is not for the naïve, as Barlow explores the demand of water, how Nestle is the worst, and how the Blue Communities Project is something you must force your local municipality into supporting.
Thoughts:
This book is a recommended read for anyone who needs water to survive - which is every living thing. For an extremely short book of fewer than 150 pages and six chapters, Barlow writes for the general adult population to explain why we cannot trust the government to manage our water, and why water must remain public and not privatize. This book explains the Barlow project which is the Blue Communities Project, a Canada born initiative that towns and cities can be apart of if they follow three simple rules:
“1) Recognize and protect water and sanitation as human rights;
2) project water as a public trust by promoting publicly financed, owned, and operated water and wastewater services; and
3) ban or phase out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities and municipal events” (76).
That is all it takes to be a blue community, so why is it that there are only twenty-seven across Canada, and only a handful internationally? Barlow does an incredible job of keeping the narrative of her story going while providing facts about the water crisis that is going to hit the world very soon. Overall, this book is perfect if you want to know why bottled water is so bad if you want to make your community a Blue community, and if you care about people and the planet.
October 1, 2019
A short but thoroughly researched look at the privatization of water utilities, global water shortages, and the 'commoditization' of water (read: corporations looking to make money by controlling access to what should be a public resource).
Canadian Maude Barlow has written previous books about grass roots efforts to take back control of their water resources after having been bought out by corporations in the interest of deregulation. By the account of facts, it's been a disaster in Canada, Britain, and almost everywhere else: under privatization, water costs inevitably increase by up to 40%, quality of water decreases, infrastructure isn't maintained, and sewage isn't treated properly.
Barlow was instrumental in starting Blue Communities, a social action organization trying to hold corporations such as Nestle and oil companies involved in fracking accountable as well as empowering communities to advocate for clean water as a basic right.
Canadian Maude Barlow has written previous books about grass roots efforts to take back control of their water resources after having been bought out by corporations in the interest of deregulation. By the account of facts, it's been a disaster in Canada, Britain, and almost everywhere else: under privatization, water costs inevitably increase by up to 40%, quality of water decreases, infrastructure isn't maintained, and sewage isn't treated properly.
Barlow was instrumental in starting Blue Communities, a social action organization trying to hold corporations such as Nestle and oil companies involved in fracking accountable as well as empowering communities to advocate for clean water as a basic right.
November 1, 2019
In 'Who's Water Is It, Anyway?' Maude Barlow offers an accessible introduction into the facts and figures when it comes to the global water crisis and how big businesses are commodifying it. In this timely narrative, Barlow recounts her journey and accumulation of knowledge to being a water activists interwoven with the necessary data that will leave readers empowered to get up and do something.
Who's Water Is It, Anyway?' is a great book to be introduced into classroom settings and shared with family and friends to serve as a primer to the subject matter, it also offers a Step-By-Step Guide on how to get involved in the movement. It's a great companion book for those of us who are itching to make a change and get involved.
If you like this book and are interested in the topic – you should watch the water documentary, Tapped.
Water is life.
Who's Water Is It, Anyway?' is a great book to be introduced into classroom settings and shared with family and friends to serve as a primer to the subject matter, it also offers a Step-By-Step Guide on how to get involved in the movement. It's a great companion book for those of us who are itching to make a change and get involved.
If you like this book and are interested in the topic – you should watch the water documentary, Tapped.
Water is life.
October 13, 2019
This is a great small book that is easy to understand, but still includes the facts and details important to the water crisis around the world. This book would be a great option for an introduction to the topic for students or those just looking for some basic information. My one negative comment is that there was a lack of storytelling in the book. Although it is data-driven (which I enjoy), I would still love a thread of a story throughout.
December 24, 2019
A must read book on the commodification and politics of water, an ever increasing scarce resource, and how small communities of people working together can push back to gain their natural rights over their water.
December 5, 2022
A book that outlines the activism taking place currently, and in the past, related to water rights.
Activism books are generally harder to read and more depressing. The author does a good job of detailing both victories and struggles, in order to keep other activists hopeful for future change.
Activism books are generally harder to read and more depressing. The author does a good job of detailing both victories and struggles, in order to keep other activists hopeful for future change.
May 29, 2020
should be mandatory reading for the whole world.
April 5, 2024
A timely update on Maude Barlow's Blue Communities project and her tireless efforts to protect the right to clean and accessible water for everyone.
November 25, 2025
Bit tedious, but relevent in today's world when big companies are trying to 'commodify' everything including water.
September 24, 2019
A good primer on the movement to fight water privatization around the world. The stories accros the globe (both successes, current fightings and the struggling ones) provide a really powerful narrative. I wish I got more indepth details on each of the case study as well as in how operationalize this in low income/resource instituions but I think this is the best way to write this so that it's not too heavy and people will actually finish the book. Don't miss this very important book and movement!
May 5, 2020
This book was given to me by the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Whose Water, is it Anyway? Is the story of Maude Barlow’s discovery of water activism. It tells the story of how the author became interested in this issue. It then narrates the stories of various campaigns around water management. In addition, it is a manifesto for the water industry to be owned by the public. This is an interesting read.
June 26, 2021
“This is a book about hope. It is a story about everyday people defending the water resources of their communities and protecting the broader human right to water by ensuring it is now and forever a public trust, one that must not be allowed to fall under private, for-profit control.”
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews