People and profits go hand in hand
By Alex Singleton on Mar 17, 2008 in International development
On Telegraph.co.uk, I put the case for private sector management of poor country water systems, arguing that opponents:
…do not have the empirical evidence on their side. The main cause of water poverty in poor countries is state mismanagement, both of water systems and of resources. 97% of the water distribution in poor countries is run by governments. Consequently, over a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. 2.6 billion have no sanitation facilities.
The private sector hardly gets a look in the door. Nevertheless, in vast majority of cases where private sector management has been tried, the result has been significant investment, increased access to water and sanitation, reduced costs for ordinary people, and improved public health.
In Chile, which the campaign group Public Citizen says is a “victim” of privatisation, access to all-day drinking water has increased from 63% to 99% for urban homes. In rural areas, access has risen from 27% to 94%…
Sue Massey | Mar 17, 2008 | Reply
I like your writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
- Sue.
Shaun | Mar 31, 2008 | Reply
Ah, fantastic point. People often believe that because water is scarce, it needs to be centrally controlled and regulated by the state — very much the opposite.