Clean water increasingly becomes a precious resource and this UN bill, I believe, targets at the privatization of water which is a multibillion dollars industry. The bill stressing on the 'right to' instead of 'the access to' practically affirms the right to clean water even if people cannot pay for the fees required of the service. Bolivia, which has moved this bill, had a bad experience with water privatization, culminating in Cochabamba protest in 2000 and expelling the Bechtel Corporation(company running the privatization). This issue is complicated and each case is different. There are pros and cons in privatization and yet the basic human necessities must have the top priority. |