NEWS: Alabama law violates human right to water

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Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow recently commented on this law, “In Alabama we have the nexus of a world where water is controlled by the state or the corporation and is used a a weapon against poor people and immigrants.”

The article continues, “Church groups, the ACLU, and the US Department of Justice filed suit against the state to block the law. On September 26, district court judge Sharon Blackburn made the decision to toss the suit from the church group and block only certain provisions of the law under the DOJ suit, much to the chagrin of both sides. The DOJ has already filed an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the state of Alabama is considering an appeal in order to reinstate the blocked provisions.”

“Remarkably, some water utilities have begun threatening to cut off or deny water service to individuals unable to prove citizenship in order to comply with section 30, one of the surviving provisions, which bars the state and local government from entering into ‘business transactions’ with undocumented residents. Allgood Water Works, which supplies water to 861 customers according to the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System database, notified customers that their water service would be shut off if they were unable to file proper identification by September 29th. Montgomery Water Works has begun denying water service to undocumented residents. Earlier this month the supplier denied a request for service from a Mexican immigrant for failure to provide proof of citizenship but the decision was overturned because the bill hadn’t become law yet. Water utilities in Montgomery and Houston counties have begun requesting proof of citizenship from those requesting water services.”

“The law sets a dangerous precedent, in that it allows the government to deny basic services to undocumented residents. This potentially puts lives in peril, and seems to run contrary to the widespread belief that water is a human right, as the UN General Assembly recently declared and made a binding component of international law. The US has not followed suit, but some states are looking at ratifying such a declaration.”