Groups Appeal to UN for 'Humanity' as Detroit Shuts Off Water to Thousands

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/06/18-7



'By denying water service to thousands, Detroit is violating the human right to water.'

Groups Appeal to UN for 'Humanity' as Detroit Shuts Off Water to Thousands
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
Published on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 by Common Dreams

As thousands of people in Detroit go without water, and the city moves to cut off services to tens of thousands more, concerned organizations have taken the unusual step of appealing to the United Nations to intervene and protect the "human right to water."

“After decades of policies that put businesses and profits ahead of the public good, the city now has a major crisis on its hands, said Maude Barlow, founder of Blue Planet Project and board chair of Food & Water Watch, in a statement. “By denying water service to thousands, Detroit is violating the human right to water."

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It calls for the "state of Michigan and U.S. government to respect the human right to water and sanitation" and for shut-offs to be halted, services restored, and water to be made accessible and affordable.

The report comes on the heels of the Detroit's city council's Tuesday approval of an 8.7 percent increase in water rates, part of a long-standing trend that, according to Food & Water Watch, has seen prices increase 119 percent over the past decade.