Controversial Topics: Privatizing Water

Let's discuss controversial topics! In this blog, I will be discussing the benefits and downsides of Privatizing Water. I have spent my old time researching into this topic, so some things I say might not be what everyone else says.

1- Essentially privatization will make water more accessible to more people. 

It is irrelevant who provides it as long as it becomes available to most of the population. More people will have access to water if the water is transferred to private institutions. This has resulted in tremendous benefits, and according to CNN, 90% of public water institutes that turned private have had great results.

2- Also privatization would take away corrupt, and bad government.

The Government cannot necessarily be trusted to provide water to all citizens. Water privatization will charge for water, however. It would be fairer to the poor and provide them with more options to accessing water that the government is not providing. It's hard to force governments to improve water access, but companies and Privatization of water will take away the risks of a corrupt government, and protect the people.

According to Economist Magazine 2011, 90% of water is publicly provided, yet 1 billion people still don’t have water. Lead seepage into the drinking water in Flint, Mich., has caused a massive public health crisis and prompted President Obama to declare a federal state of emergency there. According to npr.org when the city switched its water supply in 2014, residents of  Flint Michigan started complaining about the quality of their water. City and state officials denied for months that there was a serious problem when in fact there was lead found in the water.

3- The US uses too much water, but privatizing it will save lots of water.

This water is being drained out of lakes, and we have so much water being wasted (sewage water), privatizing water will save up the water because private companies concerned only with water can focus on the water more than a government that has to take care of thousands of other problems. Water privatization in the U.S. will help us reduce our water waste, and 

improve the environment.

According to gracelinks.org, The country has 4.5% of the world’s population yet almost 8% of its freshwater resources.

4- Privatization improves efficiency.
As populations are increasing, demand for water is growing, but the water available is becoming scarcer. For that reason, using water effectively is integral to sustainably improve access to water around the world.
According to World Bank 2011, Companies want to be profitable, and that means operating at the highest efficiency. The World Bank found that, in Western Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, and Eastern Manila, private companies have successfully reduced water losses. Private companies have reduced non-revenue water to just 15%, which is comparable to developed countries’ utilities.

5- Privatization will save a lot of money.
When you privatize water, the government get 30 cents of the funding. 30 cents may not seem like a lot. However, it adds up. Water is used everywhere, and this 30 cents can add up very quickly.
According to CNN, each dollar of public funds has an opportunity cost of a dollar 30 cents for private companies.

Downsides of Privatizing Water

1- Privatizing water would be harmful to low-income citizens and people living in poverty.
Privatizing water would increase the costs of water, and so financially insecure people may be unable to afford the water. These people can already not afford basic human needs, so how would they provide an increased water price?
The US Census Bureau reported that 45 million Americans live below the poverty line.

All people need clean water to survive; access to fresh water is thus essential for development. Global water consumption is at an all time high and yet 1.1 billion people – around one out of six of the current population – lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion people – more than two out of six of the current population – lack adequate sanitation. As a result, 1.8 million people die annually from curable diseases such as diarrhea and cholera and many more fall victim to other waterborne diseases. According to Columbia University.

2- Privatization undermines water quality.
Privatizing water would harm public health. Why should we privatize water if the health standard will go down?
According to the National Post 2001, While privatizing water in 1996, the Canadian government ordered to cut its budget by more than $200 million within two years. As a result, hundreds of workers were cut, and even the government admitted that these changes would harm public health and environmental health.

3- Privatization fosters* corruption, with water contracts being worked on behind closed doors executives and government officials are free to make decisions on their own, rather than the public interest.
According to the University of Greenwich, executives of Vivendi, Suez de Lyonnaise, and other water companies for instance, have been convicted of bribing government officials to obtain contracts.

4- Private financing costs more than government aid. 
Although many might think that privatizing water would shift from government investment to a private source for funding this is not true. In reality, the public is paying for this through their monthly bill payments.
According to the Public Services International Research Unit, when the Swedish public water system was compared to England’s privatized water the study revealed that the public system not only had lower operation costs but also lower maintenance costs. The England privatized water costs were nearly doubled the Swedish system!

5- Privatization would be impossible to reverse.
Once a municipality* signs over part or all of its water system to a private water company, withdrawing from the agreement borders on the impossible. If the company fails to live up to its end of the bargain, proving breach of contract is a difficult, complicated and costly proposition.
According to thenation.com  Public Services, International Research Unit warns that some pending international trade deals, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Trade in Services Agreement, may facilitate water privatization deals by enabling multinational service providers to supersede national law protecting public control of utilities, “making it next to impossible to reverse them.”

6- Privatization leads to the loss of jobs.
Privatization leads to huge layoffs in the workforce; layoffs are commonly used to reduce costs and increase profits.
According to business world, Following privatization in Philippines thousands of workers - half of the original workforce - were laid off the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. Some of these workers that were cut off also spent 20 years in this labor force.

fosters* - promotes or helps
municipality* - a town or district that has local government

What is my opinion after all of this?
I believe that privatizing water would have its upsides but also many more downsides, in the end, I have mixed feelings on privatizing water, but I am leaning more to staying how it is right now - un-privatized. Water your thoughts?