Big Picture About Privatization Of Water

Hi there! My name is Elizabeth Babcock AKA Ellie or Babs. This is the first post of my new blogging career. I've always been interested in environmental issues, so I made a blog about the topic for my World Politics class at Mount Holyoke. To start off, we're going to briefly chat about the issue of WATER. It's been said that water will be the next war in the future, since water is a valued resource for life. In many countries around the world fresh drinkable water is scarce. Women and children walk miles to get water for their family. "On average, women in developing countries walk 6 kilometers a day to collect water" since there isn't any close by. http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/29/drinking.water

However, when you look at countries like the U.S., most states have access to drinkable water and then some. We have bottled water. We have companies like Nestle, who bottle up water at home and in other countries.

 Here is a list of bottled water companies--> http://www.bottledwater.org/bottled-water-brands. It surprised me to find water bottle companies who produce other things besides water (Nestle). We are privileged to have a commodity like bottled water, while other countries and human beings have to struggle to gain the access to safe drinking water. "The average American uses 150 gallons of water per day." www.flowthefilm.com/aboutwater. However, having an easy accessible way to drink water is harming us, those around us, and our environment.

Check out this YouTube clip on the problem with Bottled Water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0.

 Here are also some great documentaries about bottled water-->http://www.flowthefilm.com/ and http://www.tappedthemovie.com/ I believe they are both on Netflix.

Companies like Coca cola, pepsi, and Nestle are "trying to change the way we think about water, from a basic human right to a commodity to be bought and sold for profit." Eveyln Roberts. Many bottled water companies are buying the rights to water in different countries. Here's once case about the privatization of water. It's no doubt a controversial issue, though I firmly believe that water is a basic human right and companies have no right to it. Back in the 1990's some of Bolivia's water systems were being sold to investors who were interested, this is so the government can get more money. Bechtel invested in some of the water systems there and managed them. "However, when the company took over local wells and informal pumps as well as the public system infrastructure, many consumers were priced out of the market, unable to pay the increased water rates, which in some cases had doubled." This stress caused people to riot in the streets in 2000. Eventually, Bechtel was forced out. http://worldsavvy.org/monitor/index.php?option=com_content&id=715&Itemid=1202