Water Scarcity: Privatization is Not the Solution Essay

According to the International Water Management Institute environmental research organisation global water stress is increasing, and a third of all people face some sort of water scarcity. Where demand exceeds supply and no effective management operates, there will be conflicts between the various players involved.

The world revolves around water. Without it, organisms would cease to exist. With that being said, humans depend on it on a daily basis. In the documentary “Thirst”, it covers the controversy of water privatization in Bolivia, India, and Stockton. All of these regions are opposed to water privatization by the powerful corporations that operate in the area. The people living in these places believe that water privatization negatively affects their control of their water, because it a human right. On the other hand, the multinational corporations believe that water is an economic resource that should be bought and sold, for profit. I believe that water should not have the ability to be privatized.

“Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit” were written by Vandana Shiva, depicting the water issues currently in India and how its shortage may cause a war in the future. Her book is really informative and descriptive to present what water practice in comparison to how they have been used. Shiva also expresses how those problems, which collaborated to methods and process throughout the world in general, specifically in India, as well as on an international level. She uses different involved projects, scientist research and statistical report, which changed over year to support her arguments. She debates about privatization, analyzes the complex of growing industry and agriculture of water, and environment due to community management and ecology that water continues to be used with the unsustainable method. Throughout Water Wars book, Shiva lists various evidences to assist her claims and she still believes that water is a gift from nature so the human has no right to destroy it.

There is a water crisis which faces many parts of the world and it is a threat to survival of human beings since humans are primarily dependent on water. Shortage in drinking water is beginning to show its effects in first world countries, but is a current major problem facing lesser developed countries which have not taken drastic steps to harvest water and purify it to make it safe for human consumption. In developed countries the population growth has strained available water resources and stretched the ability of governments and private firms to provide safe drinking water to the vast majority of the population. Seventy one percent of

Water is needed for everything, and all human beings and animals need it in order to live. Privatizing water is just another way of stealing. Water cannot be privatized and owned by private corporations whose only concern is to increase their profits.

The water crises revolving around privatization of municipalities, and bottled water needs to be addressed in a more comprehensive approach. A more integrated solution for water should account for an adequate supply of clean water and that water can be equitably accessed worldwide. In addition, the impacts of climate on the quality and quantity of fresh water needs to be factored in. There is uncertainty in what this might look like and who would be the best manager of this. As of right now it is almost certain the water policies of today will cause geopolitical conflict in the near future. To clarify, water wars have already begun, but more conflict on a larger scale is likely to happen if policies do not change. Therefore it is urgent that water policies adjust into a more ethical framework. An important question to ponder is, “Will social change concerning water use come through technological innovation or through cultural and value change, or some combination?” This question is imperative in how one should be constructing their viewpoint for creating difference in water policy and where one should go from here.

In places, like sub-Saharan Africa, time lost gathering water and suffering from water-borne diseases is limiting people's true potential. Also, causing them to miss important economic and educational opportunities open to men and boys; while people merely try to survive. But it doesn't have to be like this. The problem of water scarcity is a rising one. As more people put ever-increasing requests on limited supplies, the cost and effort to build or even maintain entry to water will increase. “The pertinence of ethics to water utilization and management is clear in a general sense. It is important for everyone involved in water resource management and in public health to have a well-reasoned understanding of the moral values and obligations

Because of scarcity, various economic decisions must be made to allocate resources efficiently (Scarcity). Water may be a renewable resource, but there is only a limited amount to satisfy an infinite demand. Only 3% of water on earth is fresh water, with only 1% readily available. The rest lies underground in aquifers or trapped in glaciers (The World's Water). Due to the limited supply and growing demand, several countries such as Brazil, Iran, and India are experiencing a shortage (Reig, Maddocks, & Gassert , 2013). The law of supply and demand states that as something becomes scarce, its value explodes. Water prices in the United States in over 30 states have experienced a 6% increase due to a limited supply (Walton,

Water is one of the most basic human needs. Many nations and traditions, in fact, consider water a human right. If water rights are handed over to entities whose declared purpose is to maximize profits rather than to serve the public good, hundreds of millions — perhaps billions — of people will be elbowed out of their access to water. Multinational corporations are quick to argue that market forces would bring more efficiency to water systems. But the bottom line is that water resources by their very public nature require public oversight to ensure that people, not profits, come

I will argue that water shortages are nothing new, and that throughout the history of our common human civilization various solutions were implemented to overcome water scarcities and enhance water security. However, I will submit that such solutions were always short-lived a temporary relief because the social and cultural consequences of each solution led to a gradual, cumulative increase in the demand for water.

Water privatization, the sale and transportation of water supplies to private companies, is becoming more commonly used and is affecting several populations in negative ways. Jeneen Interlandi, an author of World Watch Magazine, claims that private companies will not be able to manage water supplies in an efficient manner and should sale and management of the world 's water supplies to state and local governments (Interlandi). I believe that water privatization should indeed be put to an end because it is causing water prices to up and become less affordable, completely cutting off water access to several communities, and brings contamination and diseases to villages and the environment.

Economic relations and resource management, 2. Ideology and culture including the way people think about the environment and water rights, 3.political agents like the state, transnational actors and organizations involved in water disputes and trade 4.the transnational social movements which endorse and resist water privatization, and 5.the power relations which engender unequal access to safe water (Bywater, 2008).

Water is a human right, not a commodity. It is the essence of life, sustaining every living being on the planet. Without it we would have no plants, no animals, no people. However, while water consumption doubles every twenty years our water sources are being depleted, polluted and exploited by multinational corporations. Water privatization has been promoted by corporations and international lending institutions as the solution to the global water crises but the only one’s who benefit from water privatization are investors and international banks. The essential dilemma of privatization is that the profit interests of private water utilities ultimately jeopardizes the safeguarding of the human right to water. Access to clean, sufficient

Water privatization is private sector provision of water services and sanitation. It is most often credited for turning a public good into a private one. Nearly always plastic water bottles come to mind for many when they think of the topic. This is rightfully so, as due to water privatization, we have companies like Dasani producing these commodities. Water privatization is intended to help aid the depleting freshwater supply yet there is a standing debate on if it actually aids the cause.

Water is the most important natural source. There has been activism all over the world to attain governed pricing mechanisms and market transactions due to its mobility and centrality to sustenance of human life. The physical, conceptual, and social plasticity aspects of water as a resource create uncertainty with regard to handling and thus posing critical questions in response to use and management.