Precious water: As more of the world thirsts, luxury water becoming fashionable among the elite

By MARTHA IRVINE and DAR YASIN
Associated Press

SAMTSE, Bhutan (AP) — Though the United Nations deemed water a basic human right more than a decade ago, millions of people worldwide still don’t have clean water to drink. That means the commodification of water, and those who profit from it, are only likely to become a more contentious issues. Fine water is a growing category worldwide, even in water-stressed countries. It’s drawn from volcanic rock in Hawaii, from icebergs that have fallen from melting glaciers in Norway, or from droplets of morning mist in Tasmania. One company bottles water from a natural spring in Bhutan and brings it into neighboring India to sell in luxury hotels and restaurants. Meanwhile, water is becoming more scarce for the masses in India, which is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world.