This one time, at band camp...

-Lola Princess

The privatization of water is the selling of public ‘ownership’ of water to the private sector. The reasons are because additional investment is required for maintenance and to improve service quality and often the public sector needs expertise. However, this rarely happens and the public land up suffering because of overwhelming costs and deteriorating water quality. In a documentary called ‘Water Wars’ by Sam Bozzo, We see how due to corporate control, the people of Kenya are paying more for a bottle of coca-cola than a bottle of water. The effects of always drinking coca-cola is terrible for ones health because the phosphoric and citric acid in the ingredients are used to clean up blood spills, clean toilets, get rid of rust which too eats away at ones body. In England however, profits did go up by +142% and their river water quality improved. However, this seems to be a victory in favour of the corporate where citizens will only see those profits going into the grubby pockets of the corporate. In a sector that requires long-term investment to produce benefits, corporations are only interested in looking for a quick fix. It is hard for governments and citizens to then get the corporations out of their country. In Tanzania an American company called Biwater privatised the water but soon prices became increasingly higher and the quality of water deteriorated. Finally when Tanzania terminated the contract, Biwater sued the government for breaching of contract. Vicky Cann of the World Development Movement said, "The Tanzanian water privatisation project was a scandal right from the beginning. It is absolutely right that this Court has found that Tanzania owes Biwater nothing, but shocking that Biwater saw fit to drag the government of such a poor country through the courts in the first place." This just poses the problem of who then should own the water? Water should remain regulated and the government should find other alternatives to improve public water services without being vulnerable to corporate rule. If they kept up with maintenance there would be no need for private involvement and citizens would live a better quality of life and not live in fear, where now men are finding their sperm counts are going to down due to estrogen mimics in the water. Who really gives the government the right to sell water rights to private companies where they know their intention is not one to better the lifestyle of the taxpayer or where the water ‘belongs’ to everything and everyone, not just humans. We do not own the planet. NO WATER = NO LIFE!

Interesting articles and clips against the privatization of water: (recommended read):

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/private-vs-public/reasons-water-privatization-fails

http://waterwars.pulitzergateway.org/

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Water/Corps_Tap_Public_Water.html

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art-562458

http://www.mideastnews.com/WaterWars.htm

http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/2037.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb4WG8UJRw

http://www.debtireland.org/images/water-privatisation.gif

http://im.rediff.com/news/2009/aug/04slide2.jpg