The Race to Buy Up the World's Water--Newsweek

[Lucian]

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/08/the-race-to-buy-up-the-world-s-water.html

The New Oil
Should private companies control our most precious natural resource?

Sitka, Alaska, is home to one of the world’s most spectacular lakes. Nestled into a U-shaped valley of dense forests and majestic peaks, and fed by snowpack and glaciers, the reservoir, named Blue Lake for its deep blue hues, holds trillions of gallons of water so pure it requires no treatment. The city’s tiny population—fewer than 10,000 people spread across 5,000 square miles—makes this an embarrassment of riches. Every year, as countries around the world struggle to meet the water needs of their citizens, 6.2 billion gallons of Sitka’s reserves go unused. That could soon change. In a few months, if all goes according to plan, 80 million gallons of Blue Lake water will be siphoned into the kind of tankers normally reserved for oil—and shipped to a bulk bottling facility near Mumbai. From there it will be dispersed among several drought-plagued cities throughout the Middle East. The project is the brainchild of two American companies. One, True Alaska Bottling, has purchased the rights to transfer 3 billion gallons of water a year from Sitka’s bountiful reserves. The other, S2C Global, is building the water-processing facility in India. If the companies succeed, they will have brought what Sitka hopes will be a $90 million industry to their city, not to mention a solution to one of the world’s most pressing climate conundrums. They will also have turned life’s most essential molecule into a global commodity.

...snip...

Much more at link. I apologize if this was posted before. This is very scary, and it's something we should be thinking about now. Can you imagine if your water was privatized? Can you imagine what would happen as water becomes more scarce, how much your bill would soar? I'm having a hard enough time right now trying to pay for other things. I can't even imagine what this is going to be like in ten years.

[Orrex]

1. Don't worry--the wealthy will always be able to get all the water they need

And, in standard trickle-down fashion, we'll be permitted to quaff their piss.

[Taitertots]

14. The greatest response ever +1,000 n/t

[G_j]

2. Here is a model, The Cochabamba Declaration:

http://starhawk.org/activism/cochabamba-dec.html


"When a subsidiary of Bechtel took over water delivery services in Bolivia, water rates rose so high the poor were spending a major part of their income on water. The people rebelled, mounted an uprising, and won! Here is their declaration. I think it poses exactly the alternative we need to focus on in our thinking, our organizing and our actions." -- Starhawk

The Cochabamba Declaration:

Here, in this city which has been an inspiration to the world for its retaking of that right through civil action, courage and sacrifice standing as heroes and heroines against corporate, institutional and governmental abuse, and trade
agreements which destroy that right, in use of our freedom and dignity, we declare the following:

For the right to life, for the respect of nature and the uses and traditions of our ancestors and our peoples, for all time the following shall be declared as inviolable rights with regard to the uses of water given us by the earth:

1) Water belongs to the earth and all species and is sacred to life, therefore, the world's water must be conserved, reclaimed and protected for all future generations and its natural patterns respected.

2) Water is a fundamental human right and a public trust to be guarded by all levels of government, therefore, it should not be commodified, privatized or traded for commercial
purposes. These rights must be enshrined at all levels of government. In particular, an international treaty must ensure these principles are noncontrovertable.

3) Water is best protected by local communities and citizens who must be respected as equal partners with governments in the protection and regulation of water. Peoples of the earth are the only vehicle to promote earth democracy and save water.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. Thanks, G_j

I always appreciate your posts. Your vigilance and intelligence is much appreciated.

[Desertrose]

11. Water belongs to the earth and all species and is sacred to life!!

Water is a fundamental human right....best protected by local communities and citizens who must be respected as equal partners with governments.

I SO agree....thanks G_j
:loveya::hug:

[G_j]

13. she's our mother too!

:hug:

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Here is more info.

http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/sitka%E2%80%99s-resource-piggy-bank-is-water/


Maybe I'm a craven capitalist, but I personally don't have a major problem with this. Sitka's got lots of water, India needs some. Scott McAdams, as Sitka's mayor, is thinking fiscally, providing a commodity that could bring his town revenue.

Exporting Alaska's water has been on the table since old Wally Hickel proposed water pipelines from Alaska to the Lower 48 way back in the '70s. Everybody kind of laughed at him then, but with water shortages everywhere, it may not be such a bad idea.

I suppose Alaska could just give the water away, but would other states or countries just give their own natural resources to Alaska for free?

[Vincardog]

9. Would other states just give their own natural resources to Alaska for free? How many Federal $

does Alaska get for every $ it sends to DC?

[Blue_In_AK]

10. There's some irony here.

On one hand, people are castigating Alaska, or Sitka more particularly, for wanting to make a profit from selling water - a purely private enterprise sort of thing - and on the other hand castigating us for taking federal money.

A couple of things are at play here as far as federal money is concerned. Alaska is a new state, having had basically zero infrastructure at the time statehood was granted, 1959. Other states have had many years' head start on us as far as federal spending goes. I will not apologize for Alaskans wanting safe airports, safe harbors and safe highways, federal spending that is taken for granted in other states. Federal money is currently being spent to upgrade village water, sewer and energy systems so that people in outlying areas do not have to haul honey buckets as many do now or pay $9 a gallon for diesel to heat their homes.

In addition, Alaska has always had a big military presence with many federal dollars going towards that sector.

Thirdly, the federal government owns over 65% of Alaska's land and resources and has the responsibility for managing that land. The breakdown is here: http://nrm.salrm.uaf.edu/~stodd/AlaskaPlanningDirectory/landOwnership.html You can see that only 1 percent of Alaska's land is in private ownership, which tends to limit the amount of money that can be made in the private sector.

If you really want to understand Alaska's economy and not just be snarky, you might be interested to read this recent study done by the University of Alaska with regard to federal spending in the state. http://www.alaskaneconomy.uaa.alaska.edu/economy/fed_spend.htm

[Vincardog]

20. I don't have any problem with the people of the state of Alaska getting the benefits of being in the

union. My problem is with them getting those benefits while electing politicians who insist that Government can and should do NOTHING to benefit the People.

Get the irony? Why elect politicians who believe that government can not and should not benefit People and then go on to obstruct every effort to make Government help people?

[Blue_In_AK]

21. If you are concerned about this,

you can help us elect Democrats Scott McAdams http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/24825 and Harry Crawford http://www.harrycrawfordforcongress.com/ , two excellent working-class Alaskans who are totally for the people and not the corporations.

A little money goes a long way here, so any contribution you want to send will be deeply appreciated.

[KittyWampus]

5. tagged for later. Enron was busy buying up water sources.

[L0oniX]

6. Blue Gold: World Water Wars ...Netfix

[arcane1]

8. Beat me to it!

:kick:

[Lucian]

18. I'm going to be watching that online tomorrow for my Sociology homework.

[Karenina]

7. The water wars will make the oil wars look like

Cub Scouts grill picnics.

[Octafish]

15. Paraguay. ¿Por que no?

Who could imagine the BFEE would be next door neigbhors with Rev Moon?

[shanti]

17. sure you're right

and the *ushes made sure they got their piece in south america!

[Lucian]

19. In 20 to 30 years, it's going to be really scary.

We thought it was bad now, we haven't seen anything yet.

[stuntcat]

22. yep

people taking this kinda stuff for granted make me sick :sick:

[maryf]

12. Air is next...

Human needs have no place in a for profit business...Water, housing, food, health care, even education should all be provided for all...time to start demanding...

On a tangent, the hydro-fracking and mountain topping debates donot mention enough the cynical secondary benefit for the profit mongers, by destroying the clean water they are increasing its value...

When will we stop Capitalism's demand for profit at the cost of human needs?

[Petrushka]

16. This sort of thing has been going on for at least twenty years. "Water barons" ala google.com --->

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=water+barons&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=Cl7yNd1CxTIG9NJHaNoe0mFQAAACqBAVP0AcfUg

(**sigh**)

It was interesting to live in an area where our friendly neighborhood coal operator's intentional longwall mine subsidence damaged and/or destroyed natural water sources and supplies (wells, springs, ponds, streams, etc.) and to find out, years later, how the same irresponsible coal operater happened to be (coincidentally?) a subsidiary of one of the multi-national "water barons"---RWE---who (out of the goodness of its corporate heart, of course) was buying out financially-strapped municipal water supplies.