Headline, June13, 2013

'''THE WAILS- '''FOR'' -BLUE GOLD'''

Public is aghast! Public fury has led to the cancellation of water contracts on three continents   -only to have the managers discover that the former public utilities cannot be easily reconstituted, because no one state, no longer, has the necessary engineers and administrators.

The battle for water is also being fought on the U.S. soil. More than a century ago, the majority of U.S. water systems were private, according to Peter Gleick, the president of the Pacific Institute, an environmental think tank in Oakland. ''Because the private systems were not serving the poor in the cities,'' he said, American Municipalities  ''moved to a public water system''  -they bought out most private companies and placed them under public ownership. Public water systems have supplied drinking water to 85 percent of America since the Second World War.''

''But rising populations, aging infrastructure, and laws mandating increasingly pure water and pushing cities across the country to consider returning to the past. Cities that have gone private with drinking water or waste-water treatment include Atlanta, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Lexington, Kentucky. Some have met with fierce resistance    -angry town meetings, newspaper op-eds, and. this being America, downpour of litigation.''

At bottom, the fights are all about the same thing, said Oliver Hoedeman of Corporate Europe Observatory, an anti-big business group in Europe in Amsterdam. ''No body ever looked at their water bill and said, ''Oh, this is too costly. I guess i won't drink anything this month.'' Putting the control of water into private hands, Hoedeman says, ''is asking for abuse.''

So, lets revert back to the great wisdom of the oldest of civilizations,  -the Chinese and hear what teacher Qin Huairen says:

To the idealistic Qin, the way ahead was obvious. If Changzhou's people could only be educated about the environment, they would demand a massive cleanup  -and they ''would get one.'' Qin created the grandly titled Changzhou Environmental Education Research Society, headquartered in an unheated room in his middle school. 

He delivered spirited  eco-homolies to local citizens, and distributed copies of his laboriously printed reports documenting the degradation of the city's water supply. He came with the ideas of environmental projects that students could pursue, and circulated them to the city's classrooms. Qin was the sort of man who kept a steady eye on the future :

''Teach the students,'' he says, ''and they will teach their families''   -and somehow maintain their faith in the power of reasonableness and goodwill. ''The government,'' he believed without a trace of irony, ''will take care of us.''

But let me also add one more dimension. The World Bank made five loans in a row to improve Manila's  public water system. At the beginning something like 60% of the water was not accounted for. Half of this was leaks and half of this was stolen and diverted and not paid for. After five loans, the figure was..............70%. Then when you get to loan No:6, you do stop to ask yourself many questions.

The obvious answer said John Briscoe of the World Bank : ''is a private company with clear contract that forces accountability. If we don't do that we should be executed for not doing it. My grandmother would understand it. It's arithmetic   -it's the most basic human incentive.'' 

How many examples to quote,  from the past? Protest campaigns have occurred in Uruguay, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Africa. Anarchy of a sort reigns. In Cochabamba, Bolivia's third largest city, the new private water utility increased water bills ''up to 200% and sometimes higher.'' Demonstrators fought the police in club-swinging melees that left scores wounded.

Activists barricaded most of the major highways, and the president declared  a ''state of siege.'' Meeting of more than four people were banned. Further violence induced Bechtel executives to flee the city, and the government rescinded the contract. Later Bolivia's president resigned. 

Respectful dedication :  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

This unique post continues. And don't forget that even now there are places where people are paying a quarter of their income for water:

'As Black As Soya Sauce.''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless