Water is a human right -- but millions of people in Cape Town are days away from running out of it -- the first major city facing this existential crisis! One major player is keeping quiet: Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola's water consumption in South Africa is massive: it produces almost 40 different soft drinks and bottled water, and has a huge stake in producing beer. But beyond vague promises to reduce consumption and protect water sources, the company hasn't accepted any responsibility to ensure residents have access to water when Day Zero arrives.
12 April 2018 is Day Zero, when Cape Town’s 4 million residents are expected to be without water service in their homes for at least 150 days. Three years of drought, and poor management and planning by national and local governments have led to this point. Bottled water companies stand ready to profit from this human and ecological disaster.
We've seen this pattern before, all over the world: the human right to water for sale. From Flint, Michigan, to Puerto Rico, access to the most basic necessity of life -- clean, safe water -- is controlled by bottled water companies. In El Salvador, Mexico, and India, Coca-Cola has been accused of draining local wells dry and forcing local residents to buy bottled water.
Globally, Coca-Cola used over 300 billion liters of water in 2016. To satisfy its needs, the company extracts hidden groundwater collected over hundreds of years. Let’s tell Coca-Cola that Cape Town’s groundwater is a national asset that belongs to all South Africans -- and can't be sold in times of crisis:
Our community has been fighting greedy corporations that exploit the world's natural resources and put profits before sustainability. But now we can tell Coca-Cola to rise up to this challenge, and earn its beloved status when South Africans need it the most.
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With hope and determination,
Meetali, Diego, Joseph, and the rest of the Avaaz team
More information:
Cape Town's water crisis (CNN)
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/01/africa/gallery/cape-town-drought-water-restrictions/index.html
Cape Town to set up disaster operations HQ for water crisis (AP)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cape-town-set-disaster-operations-hq-water-crisis-5266...
Cape Town's 'Day Zero' Looms as Dam Levels Drop (EcoWatch)
https://www.ecowatch.com/cape-town-water-crisis-day-zero-2530228781.html
Wikipedia - Capetown water crisis
[Attribution](By Discott - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65821347)
