Coalition against Privatization
The United Nations (UN) has declared water a human right, yet the UN World Water Report of 2006 talks about how the world has to deal with water scarcity. Often, this happens because of mismanagement, corruption or a lack of proper infrastructure.
History of water privatization
The water privatization trend began in Latin America in the early 1990s and quickly expanded to other developing countries worldwide. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) became more involved in promoting structural reforms with governments to support private sector growth, resulting in a surge in water privatization in developing countries.
Developing countries were subjected to lending terms imposed through trade agreements and credit conditions to compel water privatization. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which oversee international trade, were used to open up the water market.
The anti-privatization movement of water
After the water privatization conflict in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2000, anti-privatization protests gained traction. Many countries, including Buenos Aires, Tucuman (Argentina), Metro Manila (Philippines), Nkonkobe (South Africa), Atlanta (USA), and others, have begun to fail the World Bank's privatization model. Thousands of people in South Africa have been disconnected from the water supply as a result of this. Commentators think that this has harmed the nation's citizens' health and exacerbated socioeconomic inequality.
Many examples from throughout the world illustrate that privatization of water and sanitation services has resulted in raising rates and service cuts for low-income households, poor environmental responsibility, and a lack of accountability and government oversight, among other issues.
While EU and US-based water companies have made global breakthroughs in private water supply and treatment, re-municipalization — putting unsuccessful privatizations back into public hands – is now a growing movement in Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Latin American countries, for instance, are fast developing, and you’ve more casinos coming up as well, including the likes of !
Canadian provinces and territories, who are negotiating for the first time, will require public pressure to reject including drinking water and wastewater services and utilities in their CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) obligations. Despite the need for sanitation and infrastructure repairs, Canada's public water management is of good quality, and water privatization has shown to be a disaster.
For far too long, water has been an underappreciated component of nearly all economic activity, mainly trade.
It is required to produce energy, the extraction and refinement of minerals, the manufacture of consumer goods, and the cultivation of food. Commercial services such as engineering, tourism, and construction should be regarded differently than public services such as health care, energy, transit, water delivery, and postal services. These critical services are crucial inputs into all economic activities, reinforcing the need for public accountability in delivery.
All Canadians benefit from public services because they provide stability and a decent standard of living. They also serve as equalizers in our increasingly unequal society by assisting the most vulnerable people of our community.
The government is responsible for overseeing our public services in the public interest and should not consider passing responsibility over to profit-making private firms.