We have processes to clean it , doesn ' t mean that everyone does . Water and sewerage treatment is a multibillion dollar enterprise , requiring large infrastructure , large maintenance , and big workforces . In poorer countries this infrastructure may not exist , be poorly maintained , not provision the entire country , or a combination . Furthermore , targeting the water utilities is a common tactic for war . It is part of laying siege to an area you cut off their water supply , the enemy will either move on or surrender . <| sep |> Automation is not the root problem though , it ' s an excellent solution to producing work . We need to figure out the policy issue e . g . how do we transition into letting robots do the work while also distributing that wealth creation to those who are now out of work ? I think we can all agree it would be ideal if all our needs were met without having to work . If we could have robots taking care of all that , we would be free to pursue whatever else we wanted without the daily stress of having to survive .