World Bank rebuked over water deal

Randeep Ramesh, South Asia correspondent
Friday July 29, 2005
The Guardian

The World Bank came under fire yesterday after it was revealed that Indian civil servants were repeatedly overruled by bank officials in their choice of consultants for a multi-million dollar contract to plan the privatisation of Delhi's water supply.

Documents obtained under Delhi's freedom of information act show the bank intervened to the benefit of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which had failed to make the grade when the Delhi government put out the tender in 1998.

The contract was to produce a plan to privatise Delhi's water supply, which provides a spluttering service to 1.6m households in a city of 20 million people. It was eventually won by PwC in the teeth of opposition from Delhi's government officials, who constantly ranked it below other bids.

Campaigners say PwC's "blueprint for reform" closely mirrors other water privatisations funded by the World Bank. A number of these have failed to deliver promised benefits, notably in Manila and South America.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,12559,1538326,00.html

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I think highly indebted countries have to promise to privatize their water supplies to get the debt relief deal. It's obscene.

Yet often you'll see those who protest the World Bank for these policies vilified for being idealistic rich kids who don't know how the world really works.

That is some of the all time best advice ever on the planet. n/t

Water privatization is a growing concern. More of the commons being subverted for corporate profit, where will it end?

Likely, when those with "insufficient funds" are allowed to die of thirst, hey social darwinism in action. Americans should start getting used to this, we're next.

what is obvious from its inception means dead people, enslaved water empire people, profiteering off of human necessity once one of the most heinous of social sins now made a Final Solution to the business of public service.

These articles deal with the consequences of not opposing the flawed planning of all powerful world bodies outside of democratic control sponsoring multi-national Enrons opposed to democracy per se.

What the article should focus on is the root cause of these "failures" and the irrational solution of capitalistic privatization of human vial services. Instead there will a round robin of slapping Enrons around(as they change their image or name) as they repeat repeat repeat the rape of the planet and the enslavement of its population.

Any other nominees for this scam?

If I am not mistaken the UNDP has complicity in this as well. Huge multinational companies scare the hell out me --- related to the amount of power and influence they have.

they seem to have boundless energy to destroy all that comes in their path.

of course they will do great on a WATER project.

Say, who is in charge of World Bank now? Anyone we know and love?

PNAC is only about oil? Taking Syria and Iran is as much about water as oil. Much related to Israel is about water.

Do we need an Earth's Resources forum?

privatizing the water is another chance for a huge monopoly. govt might even tax water pumped from a well. i think they have a tax in england.