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THE COUNTRYMAN

NEWS

An Independent Queensland Regional & Rural 

On-Line Publication

(Cairns... Far North Queensland)

 

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Sincerely

Selwyn Johnston

Editor

 

One person, with the support of the community, can make a difference

 

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WATER

Organisations of Interest

 

International Organisations

The World Bank on Water

A branch of the United Nations devoted to providing loans to developing countries for infrastructure, the World Bank has financed water privatisation in Africa, South America, and Asia. The Bank also studies the economic and social effects of water and sanitation.  

The United Nations on Water

The parent organization to the loan- and grant-giving World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the United Nations monitors issues concerning public health globally. This UN body, which is generally pro-privatisation, explores new ways of relieving water crises and providing safe water in developing countries. 2003 was the UN International Year of Freshwater and they launched an impressive website in support of the initiative.

 

Companies of Interest

Veolia Water Systems 

Veolia Water Systems is the water services branch of Veolia Environment (formerly Vivendi Universal), a French conglomerate of energy, water, waste, and transportation services. Veolia Water Systems is the largest water corporation on earth, serving 110 million people in over 50 countries.

Suez Water

Originated in the 1820s, Suez is a French conglomerate of energy, water, and waste companies. Suez Water services 125 million people worldwide, including 24 million in the United States.  

RWE - Thames Water

RWE is a German utilities company with annual revenues over $50 billion. Servicing 70 million people in fourteen different countries, RWE is the third largest water corporation behind Veolia and Suez. American Water and Thames Water are RWE's American- and British-based water subsidiaries, servicing 15 million and 51 million people respectively.

HALLIBURTON (KBR) - Water and Wastewater 

From major water transportation projects to local treatment works, KBR's capacity for innovation is backed by 80 years of experience and the successful completion of water projects in over 50 countries worldwide. Many of our projects have made a real contribution to their community by delivering improved facilities and better environmental outcomes.

 

Pro-Privatisation Groups

The Global Water Partnership

Private industrial companies support several lobbying and public-awareness groups about water privatisation, ownership, and conservation, such as the Global Water Partnership. This organization stresses water privatisation's economy and assuages environmental and social concerns.

The World Water Council

The World Water Forum participants featured in "Thirst," a group of politicians and industry leaders, make up the World Water Council. Because of the enormous capital required to update water systems globally — an estimated trillion dollars — the Forum believes that only government partnerships with private companies can effectively supply water, a resource it believes can be traded much like oil or timber. 

A World Connected

The Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University maintains this bank of economic and political articles on water privatisation. A World Connected, the research group devoted to issues of globalisation, argues that privatisation will create the efficiency needed to make water affordable for everyone and highlights the success of several water privatisation programs.

Reason Public Policy Institute

A non-partisan public policy think tank, the Reason Public Policy Institute analyses this contentious issue. The Reason report argues that privatisation has functioned in the United States and does not necessarily represent the imposition of a profit motive onto a public resource. 

 

Anti-Privatisation Groups

Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton

The Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton sued the city of Stockton in the summer of 2003 to block an agreement that would have handed control of the city's water to the international conglomerate OMI-Thames. 

Polaris Institute: Operation Water Rights

This website includes critical research and analysis on the world's largest water corporations, their most influential lobby groups, and the for-profit water agenda and strategy they shape at a global level. The Polaris Institute's aim is to make this information accessible so that it can be used for organizing and fighting back.

Public Citizen

The Public Citizen is a national non-profit public interest and lobbying organization. Public Citizen has served as a rallying organization against water privatisation – earning the support in protest from over a hundred grassroots organizations.

Sierra Club of America

With 700,000 members, the Sierra Club is America's oldest and largest non-profit environmental organization. This investigation into water privatisation eschews its possible environmental effects and calls for more public scrutiny of the process.

Food & Water Watch

Food and Water Watch serves as a clearing-house for information and an ally in organising to ensure that WATER - a public resource - stays in public ownership.

 

RETURN TO: AUSTRALIA'S WATER FUTURE... A NATIONAL WATER GRID

 

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Written and Authorised by Selwyn Johnston, Cairns FNQ 4870