The United Nations is stepping in to analyze a current stirring in Detroit. As many as 80,000 citizens are on the brink of having their water shut off due to incredibly overdue utility bills. While Detroit lies in one of the richest countries in the world, the poverty rate reigns high and citizens are getting angry. Protestors have emerged proclaiming that access to clean water shouldn’t be a taxable service, but a basic human right.

So the question remains should clean drinking water be free? Privatization of water services in other nations such as Brazil and Bolivia have caused tension during drought seasons. Studies have shown that lack of access to clean water causes serious health problems and death to communities. While the economics of this issues need to be resolved, the U.N. made its stance clear: clean water is a basic human right.

Let’s just hope that Detroit gets what it needs and that all sides end up refreshed and quenched. For more on this story and debate, click here.