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Successes and Failures of Water Privatization

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Submitted By StrictlyStress
Words 3073
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Successes and Failures
Of Water Privatization

Is It Time to Throw the Baby
Out With the Bath Water?

Jill M. Prince
EEMT-666
Major Individual Assignment
Word Count: 2056
July 23, 2011
Rodney Beard

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the world struggles to find solutions to water shortages and water pollution, an ever-greater number of people are stepping forward with proposed answers to the problems. Some efforts succeed and others fail, but in the face of it all, the human race must work diligently to be proactive rather than reactive.

Water privatization has become a key driver in solving the water crisis around the world. Economists have convinced many that treating water as an economic resource rather than a human right is the only solution to the problem. After several decades of trial and error, it has been proven they may be correct, but unfortunately, in many cases, perceived Draconian behaviour by many stakeholders has caused considerable damage to privatization efforts.

In many cases, the different stakeholders, have drawn lines in the sand and chosen sides. However, regardless of the seemingly altruistic positions of all the major players, it is time for everyone to take a step back and seriously examine not only what goes wrong in water privatization contracts, but also what goes right. If the human race in the 21st century is going to avoid the same fate as our predecessors in the Mayan culture and on Easter Island (Tietenberg and Lewis, 2010) we are going to have to begin working together much more efficiently. We cannot keep throwing the baby out with the bath water*. Rather, we must learn from our mistakes and find ways to multiply and amplify our successes, of which there have been many. We can no longer allow ourselves to be held captive by the voices of the few who shout the loudest.

One of the biggest challenges we seem to face

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