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Challenges in coping with water problems
Published in Amithirigala Widhanelage Jayawardena, Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulics, Hydrology and Water Resources for Civil Engineers, 2021
Amithirigala Widhanelage Jayawardena
Water privatization started in the 1980s when Britain sold off its entire water industry to the private sector. Historically, there have been many instances where privatization of water services has not produced the expected results. An often cited example of failure is the famous ‘Cochabamba Water War’ of April 2000 and uprising in La Paz/El Alto in January 2005, both in Bolivia, which were direct results of World Bank initiatives involving a Bechtel subsidiary. When the price of water tripled after privatization, thousands took to the streets until the government backed down and told the company to leave. Bechtel sued the government of Bolivia for loss of future profits (see World Bank’s ICSID to Hear Case on Bolivia Water Privatization, Economic Justice News, October 2002), but later in 2006, both parties agreed to drop any financial claims against each other. Similar cases of failure include water and sewerage services to the cities of Buenos Aires by Suez, Senegal by SAUR, Lagos as well as a national program called PROMAQUA in Mexico, among others.
Water supply
Published in Tim Deveaux, Bassett’s Environmental Health Procedures, 2019
In deciding whether or not water is ‘wholesome’, the standards of section 67 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and of any regulations made under that section (i.e. the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2018 and the Private Water Supply Regulations 2016) apply here (section 25(7)).
Existing systems
Published in Dante A. Caponera, Marcella Nanni, Principles of Water Law and Administration, 2019
Dante A. Caponera, Marcella Nanni
It is worth mentioning the efforts made in England and Wales to privatize the water industry, i.e., the provision of water supply and sewerage services to the public. Privatization has taken place through the transfer of the service provision functions of the ten water authorities to the private sector, i.e., to ten water companies operating under licence. However, since private companies usually are profit-driven, tight controls have been imposed by statute to ensure the quality of the services and that the services are provided to the advantage of the customers. In particular, a charging scheme has been introduced, by which the service charges proposed by the companies are subject to government approval.29 The Office for Water Services (OFWAT), headed by a director general, was responsible for supervising the overall performance of the companies. The Water Act of 2003 has provided for the replacement of the director general with a Water Services Regulation Authority having the duty to protect the interests of consumers. The act has further established an independent Consumer Council for Water. The Water Act of 2014 has increased the opportunities for competition in the provision of water services.
Smart water management: can it improve accessibility and affordability of water for everyone?
Published in Water International, 2020
Within smart cities, SWM systems mainly address the operations of the water utilities, which provide unique environmental and health services. They can also operate at different scales and in different management scenarios and stretch to embrace the full integrated urban water system, which can include features such as water recycling and stormwater. This article examines how emerging technologies will affect two central issues of the water industry: access to water services for all sectors of society; and making those services more affordable in the face of rising costs and pressures. The potential to use SWM to address these vexing problems is intriguing because billions of people globally lack access to safe, reliable and affordable water services; and progress, while encouraging, can be slow and not help everyone on an equal basis. Meanwhile, lack of access to affordable services hinders the convenience of daily life and threatens the public health of billions of people globally.