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Water is fundamentalto all forms of life and must be protected as a common resource, a public good and a human right. Water has been recognized as a human right in numerous international treaties and declarations, as well as by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in November 2002. The human right to water is essential for achieving other human rights and international development committments in critical areas such as gender equality, sustainable development and poverty eradication. [WEDO] As Kofi Annan framed the challenge of water in the 21st century: "In this new century, water, its sanitation, and its equitable distribution pose great social challenges for our world. We need to safeguard the global supply of healthy water and to ensure that everyone has access to it." This chalenge is based on his awareness that No one thinking about the future of humanity can overlook water. Water has become a fateful question. As the UN General Assembly declared the year 2003 the International Year of Freshwater, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that the global water crisis had become the major challenge facing the international community. The UN environmental Authority, UNEP, echoed the same theme by stating that the freshwater crisis was of the same proportions and potentially as great a menace as climate change. The following figures illustrate the scale of crisis: • 1.4 billion people lack access to clean drinking water • by 2025 some 3 billion people will be suffering from water shortage. Over 80 per cent of them live in developing countries, predominantly in rural areas and in big city slums • 3 billion people have no sanitary facilities • 80 per cent of all diseases in developing countries can be traced back to the use of polluted water • 6000 children under 5 years of age are dying each day from the consequences of polluted water. Translated into words, here is what these figures mean: lack of water leads to increased hunger, poverty, misery and disease, as well as desertification. People must migrate and flee. Social unrest, conflicts and the danger of war over access to water become intensified. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan put it clearly at the start of the Year of Water: "No water – no future".   WHO OWNS THE WATER?
A. The Water Barons B. Water for Profit C. Keep your Water Public D. Resources A. THE WATER BARONS: VEOLIA, formerly Vivendi, operates in more than 100 countries, has 110 million customers, with annual revenues of $15.2 billion. Their North American subsidiary USFilter funds the website for the US Conference of Mayors. SUEZ operates in more than 130 countries, has more than 195 million customers and reports annual water revenues of $15.2 billion. The North American subsidiary is United Water with 12.5 million customers. United Waters was recently thrown out of Atlanta and Puerto Rico. RWE/THAMES WATER, a German energy company entered the water business in 2002 when it purchased British Thames Water. RWE’s American Water Works subsidiaries are in more than I,000 communities nationwide. RVE’s first contract in the USA, a 20-year, $600 million deal to run the water department in Stockton, Calif., was recently declared “invalid” by a local judge. NESTLE sells 70 brands of bottled water in 130 countries, representing 9 percent of NESTLE's total sales. Top brands include Poland Springs, Deer Park, and Ice Mountain. Nestle has been implicated in places like Michigan for environmentally unsound practices in the diversion or mining of water. COCA-COLA descended on the bottled water market in 1999 with the introduction of Dasani. The company also markets other top brands, such as Evian, through its relationship with Danone. In India, Coca-Cola has been charged with causing water shortages in areas where its factories over-exploit groundwater resources. B. WATER FOR PROFIT: Private Companies plan to: BUY AND SELL Water rights PRIVATIZE public water systems, increase rates and cut off water to those who can’t afford it. PROMOTE bottled water in non-recycled plastic bottles. LOBBY to weaken water quality standards. PUSH for trade agreements that open local water resources to corporations. C. KEEP YOUR WATER PUBLIC: 6 KEY STEPS: WATCH City Hall: read the newspaper; watch for industry-sponsored water conferences. Follow the actions of the mayor and city council. Municipal officials often start and sometimes complete, the privatization process without public debate. Urge your elected officials to sign a pledge to keep your local water utility in public control. For a sample resolution please visit www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/activist/articles.cfm/D=11118 (note: the US Conference of Mayors has been an influential supporter of privatization.) MONITOR (and support) your local utility; make sure they are maintaining their facilities and providing clean, affordable water to all community residents. Failure to modernize often creates conditions conducive to privatization. The EPA requires water providers to publish annual reports on water quality. Review these reports each year. If you’re interested in starting your own citizens’ utility board, please visit: www.csrl.orgmodellaws/cub.html BEWARE of improper exercise of influence: Water companies can influence city officials through offering campaign contributions, manipulating well-connected city residents, and doling out contracts to the friends of politicians. Pre-empt the corporate agenda by passing local legislation to require a public referendum on any water privatization contract or deal. ENCOURAGE locally-controlled alternatives to privatization: some public water companies at restructuring to impose efficiency. Others are initiating campaign to improve water conservation. PROMOTE pro-public water legislation by expressing to your elected representative for a higher level of federal investment in water and wastewater utilities. Oppose pro-privatization provisions in federal and state leg¬islation. (Note: In 2002, federal legislators tried to tie consideration of privatiza¬tion to eligibility for federal assistance.) SUPPORT the human right to safe, affordable water by, opposing World Bank loans that use public money to requires poor countries to privatize their water systems. Demand that water services be excluded from International trade deals. D. RESOURCES - YOUR COMMUNITY: HOW IS YOUR COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY WATER OR THE LACK OF IT? - WORLD WATER COUNCIL - ON PRIVATIZATION OF WATER: Public Citizen - ON BOTTLED WATER: Sweet Water Alliance - ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES: Black Mesa Alliance - ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Sierra Club | Water is Essential for Life (A) | The Swiss Coalition | | Return Home | About Us | What's New | Current Focus | Articles | Great Links | Email Form | |
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