the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

If you are like many Americans, you probably think of tap water as free. But it's not. Even in even New York City tap water costs someone ... maybe your landlord ... about $0.0001 per glass. You probably take the privilege of flushing your toi· let for granted (it's a luxury by global standards, 2-4 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation); not to men- tion your daily shower, washing your clothes, etc. Even though your tap water may seem as good as free, it's increasingly becoming an expensive proposition. With water pollution increasing and aquifer levels continuing to drop, the costs and dis- tances involved in delivering clean water to the worlds' population are increasing dramatically. For better or for worse, private companies have stepped in , trying to make a profit out of a public services quagmire. In the past decade or so, 100 out of 170 countries, ranging from South Africa to Great Britain, have privatized parts of their water services. Why are governments selling water rights-like it's going out of style-to private companies, who are out first and foremost to make a profit? Well, many first world countries would prefer to avoid the costs and manage- ment challenges of upgrading aging water systems. Third world nations, sad- dled with debt and burgeoning populations, simply cannot foot the bill of delivering water. Not to mention lots of "encouragement" from the World Bank and IMF, who often make loans and other financial growth opportunities avail- able to the developing world, contingent on privatizing water systems. Water delivery services are a $200 billion industry. Two and a half years ago Fortune magazine declared that "water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century." So, there's no shortage of com- panies interested in the business. Those in favor of privatizing believe if a price is put on water, it can be delivered more efficiently, and a true market value will promote conservation. "It's a precious commodity that needs to get valued properly. The only thing that's doing this are these privatization schemes," said John Tonner, vice president and senior consultant at Water Consultants International during a recent interview. " I think you've got to find a way to get the real price or cost out there ... the one thing people can't get their minds around is the cost of water. The unfortunate reality is the cost to treat and filter water is a lot higher than people think." But is all this market theorizing a lot of hot air from a bunch of water capitalists? Those against privatization remind us that throughout his- tory, water has traditionally been regarded as part of a "commons"-a part of the communally shared public good that naturally led to a path of con- servation. In her Water Wars, activist and author Vandana Shiva describes how in her native India vi llage water was always managed by the lowest castes so the financial motives of the powerful would be kept far away from this life-saving resource. Critics of privatization believe that by commodify- ing water, many poor and indigenous people may simply be left without, unable to contend with market prices. Even those more affluent may be stuck with a bad deal as private companies squeeze their profit margin into their water bills and taxes. Examples of privatization gone bad range from developed countries whose residents experienced lessening water quality, to undeveloped nations where the poor experienced absolute water scarcity and disease outbreaks. The US city of Atlanta privatized its water system in 1998. Last year residents were warned to boil their tap water five times last year because it was unsafe for drinking, according to a December 2002 Mother Jones article. After four years the city government kicked out the United Water, citing a series of audits and reports showing that it fa iled to live up to its promises, and voided a 20-year, $428 million deal. In 2000, Suez, the largest water company in the world, installed a water metering system in South Africa that required people to use prepaid debit cards to access clean water. A two-year cholera epidemic ensued, infecting 250,000 people and killing nearly 300, as people who couldn't afford to pay the fees were forced to get water wherever they could find it-often in unclean streams and ponds. Can local residents fight against privatization? Yes, and organiza- tions such as Public Citizen often help local communities regain local control of their water management. When Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America, contracted its water service to Aguas del Tunari (a subsidiary of the San Francisco-based Bechtel corporation) the local people, who found themselves paying as much as 50 percent of their monthly income for water, protested. Vehement popular opposition to the deal led the government to cancel the contract and bring water service back into the public domain. A story of victo ry for the people? Well, it's not the end 'til the fat lady sings. Although Bechtel recently backed down on a $25 million lawsuit against the Bolivian government, control of the city's water system including a $35 million debt has been turned over to the protester's organization. Perhaps it's true that access to earth's most precious and vital resource is not without cost, but in some parts of the world, this cost can be deadly. ) Aaron Clark NOT FREE AT LAST -PERCENT OF GLOBAL POPULATION RECEIVING WATER FROM CORPORATIONS, 5 -NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THEIR WATER FROM PRIVATE COMPANIES IN 1990,51 MILLION -NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THEIR WATER FROM PRIVATE COMPANIES IN 2002, 300 MILLION -REVENUES THAT THE WORLD BANK PREDICTED IN 1998 WOULD SOON BE GENERATED BY THE GLOBAL WATER TRADE ANNUALLY: $800 BILLION -PERCENT OF THE WORLD WATER MARKET CONTROLLED BY VIVENDI AND SUEZ, 70 63

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