While browsing Common Dreams, I came across an article by Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich called Water is a Matter of Public Debate. Kucinich argues that water must be publicly rather than privately owned, as is the growing trend.
I thought I remembered seeing somewhere that Islamic law considers water to be communal property, so I did a little research. I was correct. The basis for this is the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (sAas),
Muslims have common share in three: grass, water and fire.Water issues are obviously extremely important in many parts of the Middle East and North Africa where water is scarce. Identifying Islamic Approaches to Water Management reviews a book that looks to find solutions within Islamic law for modern water rights issues. This page looks at water laws in Palestine, Islamic and otherwise. National Water Law (Somalia) is an actual water law written for Somalia based on Islamic legal principles. Finally, An Islamic Perspective on the Wealth of Nations, a Muslim libertarian treatise, discusses water rights briefly. I don't know enough about water law in general or Islamic water law in particular to comment further, but I do want to point out these resources for people who are more knowledgeable in law. Also, I post it as a reminder that Islamic law is about a lot more than just stonings and veils. It covers economic law as well and has a great deal of relevance for today's issues.