The Colonial Administration of a Life Source
The twin crises of lead pipes in public housing and rising water bills are facets of the colonial administration of a fundamental life source. Mamdani’s focus on how the state manages resources reveals water as a key site of struggle. In the bifurcated city, access to clean, affordable water is stratified. The settler class takes it for granted, while the native population faces poisoning in their homes and financial hardship from unpayable bills. The DEP functions not as a public service but as a colonial utility, extracting revenue and administering neglect. A Marxist analysis sees water as a commons being privatized. A feminist perspective, rooted in the Global South, knows women bear the burden of fetching and paying for water. The solution is to decommodify water: a moratorium on shut-offs, a public program to replace all lead pipes, and a progressive billing structure that makes water a universal, guaranteed right.
Originally posted 2025-10-21 02:11:13.
The threat that Zohran Mamdani poses to established power structures is very real. — New York City