Water for the World Act of 2009 Well-Meaning, But Flawed
2009-04-23
Contact:
Kate Fried (202) 683-2500
Water for the World Act of 2009 Well-Meaning,
But Flawed
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director
Wenonah Hauter
Washington, D.C.—“While the efforts of Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Donald Payne (D-N.J.) set forth in the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009 are well-intended, the legislation is deeply flawed. This act sets the goal of providing 100 million of the world’s poorest with sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015. Inadequate drinking and waste water infrastructure is a serious problem, one that plagues millions of people in developing nations and accounts for some 2 million deaths each year. While the act attempts to mitigate these problems, if passed, it will further enable the role of private investment in public drinking and waste water infrastructure in developing nations.
“Water privatization has proven a commercial failure in most countries around the world because private companies have, time and again, proven incapable of meeting their obligations to both their customers and their shareholders. Most of the time, their loyalties fall with the latter. In developing nations especially, private companies have little incentive to address the need to expand access to potable water when large sections of the population cannot afford to pay for their services.
“Reinforcing the role of private investment in the water infrastructure systems of developing countries will only perpetuate the problems that this well-intended act is designed to solve. Instead, we must work with developing countries to implement sound water policies based on public management of this essential resource.”
Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer organization based in Washington, D.C., works to ensure clean water and safe food in the United States and around the world. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.