Water:  Our Most Precious Commodity

by Anissa Muhammad,

Remember COVID, and how sheltering in place strained the economy? Remember how empty the shelves in the water aisles were? What we all experienced during the pandemic, will, undoubtedly, be experienced again because the water shortage is very real.

As a commodity, water is essential. Without water, there will be no food—crops dry up, livestock used for food cannot survive without it; energy companies cannot generate fuel without it; and the bling, bling we like to wear cannot be extracted without water. Unlike other commodities (wheat, soy, oil, tobacco, coffee, and sugar), water is illiquid, meaning no one has quite figured out how water can be traded on the stock market; at least not yet.

Water is an essential nutrient that must be accessed externally. Water keeps our body’s cellular system intact. For example, 90% of blood plasma is water.  Water is responsible for the formation of membranes outside the cell and is important for the fluidity of activity outside of our cells. Water is responsible for how cells are shaped.  Water transports nutrients, and expels waste materials. Water also keeps our bodies from becoming too acidic or too alkaline. Kagen or alkaline water is good, however, if you do not know the pH level of your blood (<7 = acidic; >7 = alkaline) then you could be introducing adverse cellular reactions within the body.

Did you know that water plays a role in the absorption of the vitamins C and B (folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B₆ and B₁₂ )?  Without the absorption of these most essential vitamins and trace minerals, deficiencies occur that can result in death.  

I know, I know, you may think, “but I get water when I drink coffee or soda.”  Ok. I get that.  But did you know that too much coffee blocks the absorption of vitamins and minerals. And, no, I’m not going there about the danger of drinking too much soda 😊. Pure water (which is hard to find) is so essential to life itself—no organism on earth, be it plant, or animal, can live without it.  Just as we maintain our fine cars, put that much effort in ensuring you maintain your body properly—water is life.

Lastly, from an economic perspective, we are at ‘COVID status.’  There is a water shortage on the horizon.  So, get prepared. Water is our most precious commodity.

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Anissa Muhammad
Sisters 4 Life Health Equity Group, Inc.
Certified Partner
Los Angeles South Chamber of Commerce

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During the industrial age, many steel mills, auto manufacturing plants, rubber manufacturing plants, petroleum companies, and for the manufacturing of chrome plated products were established in and around major/minor bodies of water (lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and oceans). As time progressed, the manufacturers moved elsewhere, and the industrial areas slowly became residential and these residential areas are, for the most part, inhabited by the poor Black and Brown people. These residential areas later became sites for low income housing projects.  According to the Guardian, (McCormick, and Andrade, July 20, 2022), there are 12.8 million houses/apartment buildings in the U.S. that still connected to water systems that use lead pipes. 

Water contamination is not just limited lead contamination, it also includes high levels of benzene, hexane, chromium, sewage waste products, phosphorous, nitrogen, pesticides, and fertilizers.  These toxic exposures interfere with the quality of life to residents of poor communities. Lead poisoning and toxic ground water,  created by underground petroleum storage, water run-off into lakes, rivers and streams have led to neurological disorders, cancers, heart disease, and kidney disease. Many are not making the connection because political leaders have residents believing that these illnesses are caused by their ‘lifestyles.’ In short, the leaders are blaming the oppressed for their oppression.