NEW DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE CAMPAIGN
WATER SHOULD NOT BE PRIVATIZED

September 27, 2010
Montreal

Is bottled water really safer and cleaner than tap water? Is water being turned into a luxury item? These are some of the questions currently being asked by the organization Development and Peace and its approximately 11,500 members across Canada.

The international development organization is currently conducting a campaign against the privatization of water. Leaflets, posters, videos and personal pledge cards are being distributed to promote free access to safe drinking water worldwide.

The organization has launched this campaign after noticing a troubling trend in the Global South: a rise in the sale of bottled water, which makes it increasingly difficult for the poor to have access to this vital resource.

“Bottled water companies represent a growing threat to the available water sources of rural populations in the Global South,” says Claire Doran, Director of Education Services at Development and Peace. She cites as an example the community of Sukabumi in Indonesia, where bottled water companies are buying up water sources that have been traditionally used by small-sale farmers.

“The packaging and selling of water means that this necessity is being transformed into a commodity that is only accessible to those who can afford it,” she adds.

By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in regions where water will be a scarce resource. The organization wants to stress that bottled water should never be accepted as an alternative to publicly owned and operated water systems, both in the North and the South.

Individuals can make a concrete gesture
The organization is encouraging Canadians to make a personal commitment to give up bottled water. “Whenever possible, we should support publicly owned and operated water services by choosing to use tap water instead of bottled water,” suggests Doran.

Development and Peace also believes that public institutions such as schools, recreational centres and municipal buildings should refrain from selling bottled water and should instead invest in drinking fountains that are accessible to everyone.

“With this campaign, we want to send a clear message: on a global scale, water is a common good that must be shared,” she emphasizes.

http://www.devp.org/devpme/eng/pressroom/2010/comm2010-09-27-eng.html

Resources about this new campaign are available from Development and Peace animators across the country or online at www.devp.org.