Stop! The Privatization Of Water!

Privatizing water is an important subject that people need to recognize. Privatizing water is when companies buy out public owned water. One important element of this is that companies are making a lot of money. They claim that by privatizing water there will be technical expertise and improvement in service and quality of the water, when in reality the water we are drinking is fine and there is no need for big companies to own water supplies. It can be concluded that their main focus is to take ownership of water so they may beneifit from it. Big companies are taking what should be naturally avaible to humans and are using it against us to make money.

Here are some facts to consider about the subject:

-“More than 100 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world have issued an ‘Evian Water Challenge’ to leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) major industrial nations that will meet next week in Evian, France, demanding that they stop pressuring developing countries to privatize their water resources.” (Stop Privatizing Water, NGOs Tell Developed Counties)This statement was released by Jim Lobe in May, 2003. People need to recognize that this may effect them in the future and they need to consider getting involved with stopping companies such as the G8 from privatizing what is naturally given to us.

-G8 is taking advantage of growing counties by offering them trade so they can own their water. According to Clare Joy “The record of water liberalization and privatization around the world has been a disaster… many developing countries and impoverished communities have rejected the idea of providing water for profit, yet European member of the G8 are pushing them into a trade agreement, lobbied for by the business and negotiated in secret, that will lock in liberalization regardless of the cost to the poor and vulnerable.” (Stop Privatizing Water, NGOs Tell Developed Countries)

-“The European Union (EU) has been especially aggressive. They are demanding that 72 counties open their water sectors to foreign private investment in the GATS negotiations. The NGOs want the EU to withdraw those demands at the Evian summit.” (Stop Privatizing Water, NGOs Tell Developed Counties)

In 1990 50 million people worldwide got their water from private companies. In 2002 the number rose to 300 million people. (Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water)

Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in the in world. How did the G8 take advantage of them?

At the World Bank headquarters in Washington the words “Our dream, a world free of poverty” is engraved in walls. Bolivia took it upon themselves to address the bank and their statement because they are still are facing the conflict of a poor nation who is being taken advantage of. “On January 10 (2005) the citizens of El Alto took the streets en masse to demand that their water system, privatized in 1997 under World Bank pressure, be returned to public hands.” (The Politics of Water in Bolivia)

The link below will bring to a youtube clip that shows Bolivia and the conflicts that have arised since the water was privatized. It also discusses the Banks involvement with situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZC1LafSxAk

America’s involvement in privatizing water.

The town of Felton put up a fight against the German company RWE-AG to keep their water flow for public access. Other states such as, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lexington, Kentucky and Peoria, Illinois are also facing big companies.

The German company is attempting to buy the California-American Water Company, which owns water rights in Felton. The company is one of the second largest companies in the world, owning 848 companies. It is also the third largest in profiting through owning private water companies.

While large water companies such as G8 and RWE-AG have developed, America has also created their own water privatization company called American Water Works (AWW). They have been supporting foreign companies, such as RWE-AG. AWW was founded by John H. Ware in 1947, where the Ware family has been in charge of the company since then.

States such as Tennessee and California have fought against the big companies because they are afraid of German economic invasion. The companies history for water privatizing has been known for having environmental problems when it comes to dumping their waist. The company has been known for its poor service as well.

The community of Felton faced a water rate increase which, they say will get worse because the RWE are planning to join the Arrowhead Water Company. Arrowhead plans to export water out of Felton. The Arrowhead Company in 1989 faced a $100,000 fine for stealing the water of this area . This was the “the largest land-use fine ever collected in the Sate of California.” (Felton Fights Privatized Water)

Other states and counties have a hard time fighting the companies because of the political attributes and commitment it takes to fight against the companies.

How Did Felton Fight Back?

The town of Felton won their battle against RWE on May 30, 2008. Jim Mosher who contributed to the victory through the organization FLOW states, “This is a great victory for the citizens of Felton and should inspire other communities to challenge private water utilities that are extorting huge, unjustified rate increases and failing to protect sensitive watershed properties.” (Corporate Water Privatization)

The problem was initiated in 2001 when American Water, which became apart of the German company RWE, bought Felton’s water supply. The real fight began in 2002 “when California American Water ignited furor in the Felton community, nestled amongst coastal redwood trees, with a 74 percent rate increase. In response, the friends of Locally Owned Water (FLOW) was born and flew into action. Flow fought to reduce the amount of the rate hike, urged Santa Cruz County to create a public agency to control the water system and opposed to the company’s plan to merge the Felton and Monterey water districts.” (Small Town Overthrows Corporate Giant for Control of Water)

In July 2005 FLOW was able to agree on higher taxes and allow the SLV Water District to use a $11 million bond to buy the water system. “The district offered California American $7.6 million, but Cal-Am refused. Its leadership stated, flatly, that the system is not for sale at any price and expressed its determination to oppose all public acquisition efforts so that Felton did not start a domino effect of citizens taking control of their water resources.” (Small Ton Overthrows Corporate Giant for Control of Water)

Why is it important that people around the world recognize the problem with privatizing water?

Water is a human resource and it should be available for all people at all times. It would be inhumane to take this resource away from people. Companies are trying to take a natural resource and make it marketable.

Work Cited

Hauter, Wenonah. "Small Town Overthrows Corporate Giant For Control of Water." Alter Net 05 June 2005 29 Nov 2008 <Miess, Fhar. "Felton Fights Privatized Water." Santa Cruz Independent Media Center 02 October 2002 29 Nov 2008 .>.

Lobe, Jim. "Stop Privatizing Water, NGOs Tell Developed Countries." News Center 27 May 2003 29 Nov 2008 <http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0527-05.htm>.

Lohan , Tara. "Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water." Alter Net 25 April 2005 29 Nov 2008 <http://www.alternet.org/environment/50994>.

Miess, Fhar. "Felton Fights Privatized Water." Santa Cruz Independent Media Center 02 October 2002 29 Nov 2008 <http://santacruz.indymedia.org/newswire/display/2213>.

Shulzt, Jim. "The Politics of Water in Bolivia ." The Nation 28 January 2005 29 Nov 2008 <http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050214/shultz>.