Verified Document

Water Privatization Water Is Necessary For Life Essay

Water Privatization Water is necessary for life on the earth. Humans, animals, and all plant life require water in order to sustain existence. Looking for clean and drinkable sources of water has become difficult, especially in humid and dry areas such as the Middle East or in parts of Africa where water supplies have become contaminated. In the wake of these types of situations, a market has developed for the privatization of water sources. Large corporations are buying out sources of clean water and selling it again to people in need at a substantial profit. This term, privatization, can also refer to the taking over of water supplies for local areas by large conglomerates rather than public companies.

As in the privatization of other industries, the comodification of the water industry has its proponents and its critics. There are those who state that having privatized water companies allows for certain groups to send water to locations where it is most desperately needed.[footnoteRef:1] There are various motivations behind the desire to transfer public works into a privatized enterprise. Among these are the desire to increase efficiency and improve the quality of service and also the desire and ability to replace inefficient or corrupt management of the utilities[footnoteRef:2]. Often the services provided before privatization are poor and shoddy, leading those affected by the takeover to be pleased by the result.[footnoteRef:3] It has been documented that locations in poor and rural areas with privatized water companies have a child mortality right that is 5-7% lower than locations without these groups. [1: Ronald Bailey. "Water is a Human Right." Reason. 2005. ] [2: Emanuele Lobina & David Hall, "Problems with Private Water Concessions: a Review of Experience." 2003. ] [3: Philippe Marin, "Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities." Trends and Policy Options. 8. World Bank. (Washington, DC: International...

20.]
Those who disagree with these supporters state that the privatization of water companies has allowed certain groups to take command of a necessary commodity and then to essentially abuse and misuse the needs of the corresponding peoples. One of the major problems that people have with water privatization is that the company who purchases the water supply effectively has a monopoly.[footnoteRef:4] With no competition in the area who are able to supply the same necessity, the companies are able to charge whatever they wish without fear of reprisal or without any real competition for the product. Some of the protests against privatization of water have even become violent, such is the resistance to turn public enterprises into private businesses. [4: Fredrik Segerfeldt, "Private Water Saves Lives." Financial Times. 2005. (CATO Institute)]

There are two different types of privatization: full privatization and a public-private partnership (PPP).[footnoteRef:5] Of the latter, there are four distinct types: management contract wherein the private operator is only responsible for running the system in exchange for a fee, a lease contract wherein the assets of the company are leased to the private operator who shares in the revenues, a mixed-ownership company, and a concession. The last occurs when the private owner is responsible for running the entire system and the investment is financed solely or almost entirely by the private company. The concession is the most common form of PPP used in water privatization. [5: Philippe Marin, "Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities." 20. ]

Water privatization has been around since the 17th century in powerhouse nations like England, whose population was already heavily-dependent on their government and her interests for their livelihoods and means of survival. One reason that so many nations have come to…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

Ronald Bailey, "Water is a Human Right." Reason. 2005.

Emanuele Lobina & David Hall, "Problems with Private Water Concessions: a Review of Experience." 2003.

Philippe Marin, "Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Water Utilities." Trends and Policy

Options. 8. World Bank. (Washington, DC: International Bank for Reconstruction)
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Water Privatization How Privatization of Water Is
Words: 3687 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Water Privatization How Privatization of Water is Bad for the World Water is a scarce resource, a fact that is becoming more evident as time goes on and pollution becomes more evident. There are many instances where privatization has been beneficial; bureaucratic red tape often makes policy making a headache for consumers, and some eagerly advocate for privatization of certain resources. Privatization often has advantages, but in many instances it also realizes

Political, Scientific and Social Views
Words: 1243 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Proposal

Certainly, one could tell from your presentation that your political past and present has not yet left you, but the valid ideas remain. My discourse is structured less on what we should do, but rather on how water is both a commodity and a public good. Moderator: Excellent, but please make sure you don't get into a fight with Paul's rigorous political approach! Karen Bakker: Right, will do. We can all

Infrastructure Is the Foundation of a Healthy
Words: 1513 Length: 6 Document Type: Book Review

Infrastructure is the foundation of a healthy economy and an equitable society. The World Bank's Policy Research Report on Reforming Infrastructure: Privatization, Regulation, and Competition evaluates infrastructure issues in several major sectors: telecommunications, electricity, transportation, and water. Within these infrastructural areas, the report addresses topics related to privatization, state ownership, competition, and regulation. Finally, the report incorporates social and economic concerns into proposed policy reforms. Both privatization and state control

Marketing and Economics Agricultural
Words: 18779 Length: 68 Document Type: Term Paper

Origins, History of the IMF The International Monetary Fund was first conceived between July 1-22, 1944, at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The conference was attended by representatives of 45 nations, which were called together in order to plan and lay the groundwork for a cooperative economic framework to solve global financial crises before they occur. One key reason for the conference was to

Blue Gold
Words: 962 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Blue Gold Blue is the new black, according to the filmmakers of Blue Gold. Blue Gold is a documentary about how water is becoming a scarce commodity, and that it will become the reason for wars in the future unless something critical is done about it on political, economic, and public policy levels. This is an important film, because the issues impact all persons on the planet. Rich or poor, male

Health Care Systems Management As
Words: 9550 Length: 35 Document Type: Dissertation

The infant mortality rate is of 8.97 deaths per 1,000 live births. This rate places Kuwait on the 160th position on the chart of the CIA. The adult prevalence rate of HIV / AIDS is of 0.1 per cent. In terms of economy, Kuwait is a relatively open, small and wealthy economy. It relies extensively on oil exports -- petroleum exports for instance account for 95 per cent of the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now