Ever wonder about those people who spend $2 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backward.
George Carlin
I live in Lancashire in the North of England where it is famously known for its annual abundant rainfall. Despite this I have had an eye opening experience in relation to water that has begun in March of this year, please allow me to explain. When we took over the disused tennis courts site for our community permaculture project the landlord of the pub in who’s grounds the tennis courts are situated, warned me that there was no direct water supply to the courts to enable us to water our seedlings and plants until July. So since then I have been filling up spent water bottles from our tap and either carrying them over to the site in large carrier bags, or wheel barrowing the water over if it’s been a particularly hot day when the plants will need more water.
Bringing the reality of water home
This experience has really made me think about actually how precious water is to us and all flora and fauna that exist on the planet. It is one thing being aware of the political and ecological implications of water by reading about it and digesting it, but it is another entirely when confronted with it in the here now. It has gotten to the point now where I screw the lids on the bottles very tightly before leaving the house so as to ensure that not a single drop is wasted in transit. It has also effected the way I water the plants and seedlings up at the site, making sure that every single drop is poured exactly around the base of every plant. My water management up until this time mainly consisted of using my own urine as a plant food in the garden so I don’t have to flush the toilet, but it has since been expanded through my experience of ‘carrier bagging’ the water to site.
Water the commodity
Behind the practice of our water management lies a sleazy and unethical control of our water supply by private companies and individuals. It is true to say that our changing climate is having some effect on our water supply, but it has none when compared to that inflicted on it by businesses and corporations. Recently the Chair of Nestle recently announced that Water is not a human right and should be completely owned by private companies and individuals. This attitude is highly prevalent in some parts of the US were collecting rainwater is illegal so as to protect the privately owned utility companies. 
With estimates for the total amount of clean drinkable water on the planet hovering somewhere between 1-2% it is easy to see why water has become such big business. It now seems acceptable for traders to gamble on the prices of vital human resources which of courses, as we know pushes up the price of these resources. 
Reclaiming the planets water supply
Of all political actions required to bring about a more balanced and ecologically sound world, water really needs to be right at the top. On our part we can use water as sparingly as we can and we can stop adding chemicals to our water supply by not using chemical based cleaning products. This whole issue needs a concerted effort from everyone to try and redesign and rethink not only water usage but also water allocation. Some considerable urgency as attached to this as more and more private money is going into the acquisition of water aquifers, lakes and reservoirs.
Steve