Private vs. Public
With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to run short of fresh drinking water by 2025, water has come to be known as “the oil of the 21st century.” Around the world, multinational corporations are parlaying the misery of our water-starved regions into profits for their stockholders and executives.
| Victory in Felton, CA! |
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 Community Slays Corporate Giant |
With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to run short of fresh drinking water by 2025, water has come to be known as “the oil of the 21st century.” Around the world, multinational corporations are parlaying the misery of our water-starved regions into profits for their stockholders and executives.
In the United States, 86 percent of people get their household water services from a public utility. But some members of Congress and local politicians want to see private companies take over more water systems. And public utilities are struggling financially to meet federal clean water standards and to maintain and modernize water systems.
So when cash-strapped communities are unable to make necessary water upgrades, private companies persuade them to sell off their public water systems. Communities that have experimented with privatization have not found that it solves their water woes. In fact, many private companies are providing worse service at a higher cost than most public utilities.
Food & Water Watch serves as a clearinghouse for information and an ally in organizing to ensure that water –– a public resource –– stays in public hands. We provide support for the residents, elected officials, water utility staff, and community leaders who are fighting to protect their water from corporate control. In addition to serving as a clearinghouse for communities facing privatization, we alert public officials and concerned citizens about the economic, social and environmental benefits of local ownership, and the risks of privatization
People have won real victories in protecting their water resources
–– from the small coastal town of Montara, California, to the highlands
of Cochabamba, Bolivia, to the great city of New Orleans. Here you’ll
find information on where people are challenging corporate control of
water around the world, and what they’re doing to win. Help us build
this network.
Something happening in your community? Have questions? Let us know –– email us at water(at)fwwatch.org.
Learn More
Fact Sheets
Reports
- American Water — RWE’s short, uneasy U.S. experiment is a caution ...
- Aqua America — Aqua America is the second largest publicly traded ...
- Costly Returns — Costly Returns: How Corporations Could Profit from ...