Is Water the New Oil?

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

 

 

Is Water the New "Oil"?

 

Public fountains are dry in Barcelona, Spain, a city so parched there’s a €9,000 ($13,000) fine if you’re caught watering your flowers. A tanker ship docked there this month carrying 5 million gallons of precious fresh water – and officials are scrambling to line up more such shipments to slake public thirst.

 

Barcelona is not alone. Cyprus will ferry water from Greece this summer. Australian cities are buying water from that nation’s farmers and building desalination plants. Thirsty China plans to divert Himalayan water. And 18 million southern Californians are bracing for their first water-rationing in years.

 

Water, Dow Chemical Chairman Andrew Liveris told the World Economic Forum in February, “is the oil of this century.” Developed nations have taken cheap, abundant fresh water largely for granted. Now global population growth, pollution, and climate change are shaping a new view of water as “blue gold.”

 

read more at csmonitor.com

[underdog]

The IMF and World bank devised conditions on loans to force some African countries to give up Water (and other public utilities) to private corporations.

 

* Angola, which, in return for loans, had to adjust water tariffs to increase cost recovery.

 

* Benin, which had to privatise its water and electricity distribution company.

 

* Guinea-Bissau, where water and electricity utilities management was transferred to a private company.

 

* Niger, where water, telecommunications, electricity and petroleum government enterprises were to be privatised in a World Bank deal with proceeds used to payoff debts.

 

* Tanzania, which was told to assign Dar es Salaam Water and Sewage Authority assets to private management companies.

 

As a result of the IMF directives, countries already heavily indebted to Western banks have to borrow more to finance water privatisation. For example, in Tanzania the first phase of the Dar es Saalam project will mean the government has to take out loans of $145 million for “infrastructure rehabilitation and improvement”. The company winning the bid for the contract will only have to pay $6.5 million “to cover meters and standpipes.”

 

 

Source

[Miriam1]

Glad to be in the land of plenty atleast for water...Canada and its bottomless lakes

 

It does seem like we are finally peering over the brink...watching the news earlier today and the UN reports that high prices for food will mostly likely continue for the next 10 years

People in Brundi are now buying bread by the slice...

[LANDER]

Let's not be so Comfy Hayam, some are predicting that Water will be the cause of many future wars and that water resources that Canada has in abundance (about 10% of the worlds renewable fresh water vs. a relative population of 0.5%) could possibly be a source of conflict between the US and Canada. Now I think its a assuming a lot, but who knows in desperate times people will do desperate acts. As Jean Chretien once jokingly said when asked about why he wasn't spending more money on purchasing tanks. He replied with that french accent of his 'what for? The only country that could launch a direct ground attack on us is the United States and Whether we have 4 more or 14 more tanks I don't think it would matter much [laugh].'

 

I think some more serious writers bring up NAFTA and this idea some Democatic candidates have of wanting to renegotiate it. Check out the article below.

 

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/04/8086/

[Miriam1]

Your right, any serious worries over our ability to maintain tight control of our water resources is directly challenged by 'national treatment' clauses for investors from the united states and mexico under NAFTA.

 

But I do think that in the current political atmosphere, not even the most pro-business conservative government will be brave enough to go against public opinion and start selling water in public domain to private companies.

 

For instance take the refusal by British Colombia to sell water by bulk and thereby turning down a contract by the american company Sun Belt Co. which later sued them.

 

This case has been ongoing for the last 10 years, and other than a most recent conservative government ( inshallah will come down) nothing has changed much in our public policy arena....why bother neigoating if no one is taking its most effy parts serious?

[N.O.R.F]

When you see water gushing out of high pressure taps in the middle of the desert and seeing most of it wasted you begin to think. All over the place from homes to mosque wudu facilities you notice just how much water is being wasted.

 

Compare that with the shortage of water in Africa where there are hardly any desaleaniation plants and water supply infrasctructure even though water is abundant in some countries.

 

If only the right infrastructure could be put in place for Somalia, it would be the end of draughts affecting people and livestock.

[Cara.]

Water desalination is the way to go. About 95% of the water on this planet is saltwater. Of the less than 5% freshwater, most of it is unavailable for consumption (polar ice caps etc).

 

The problem is that water desalination is at the moment far too expensive an endeavor to interest most private corporations. And short-sighted government administrations won't embark on costly public works if they will be out of office when it's time to reap the rewards.

 

Somalia could easily be selling water to other African nations, much less suffering droughts ourselves!

[N.O.R.F]

Somalia could easily be selling water to other African nations, much less suffering droughts ourselves!

Quite true.

 

Desalination plants are expensive but what if oil is discovered?

[Jacaylbaro]

I'm waiting for the face-to-face war between Egypt and Ethiopia for water.

[Dhagax-Tuur]

I've seen this topic way back and digged it tonight. My brain was tickled by the following facto-mentary (documentary) on water. I recommend everyone of you that has time to watch it, damn it, if you don't have the time make time for it to watch. It'll inform you immensely.

 

Blue Gold - World Water Wars - 1/9

 

Desalinization is a very good alternative and one which would make our country a heaven of water. Currently, as I heard, there is one factor that is restricting this method being commonly used and that is the cost of the energy it takes to produce - to turn the salty water into drinkable water - the consumable water. In Somalia's case, we're on the ocean and we've solar and wind energy in plenty.

 

It churns my belly when I think of the world's biggest private corps making plans to buy up all these water resources by hook or by crook, how are we ever going to stop them from looting our resources when we can't even solve our basic problems. It's like looking into the future and getting nothing but disappointment. However, as muslims, we've to be optimists and believe in Allah and that only what Allah wills will happen.