Committee: United Nations Human Rights Council

Topic: Addressing the Privatization of Water and Water Shortage in Developing Nations
Country: India

Water privatization started in the late 1990s and shortly after became a problem. Water
privatization is private sector participation in the provision of water services and sanitation. It
was originally designed to help develop urban areas which raised taxes in those areas. It doesn't
translate the same to rural areas (Wiki 2019). Rural communities are more vulnerable to
corporate takeovers and water privatization because investors see no purpose in helping theses
communities. Some argue that water privatization has led to improvements of utilities and an
increase in investments. Although in a lot of cases it has led to tariff increases and has turned
public resource into a private one.
In India water is scarce for most people 76 million people don't have access to clean
drinking water (Dutta 2017). Just 1% of people in rural areas have access to clean water. Water
privatization is bad for India in all ways it takes away water sources from people living in rural
areas. For people living in those areas that's the only way to get clean water. India wants to give
there people water but also improve utilities and increase investments. In 2002 the government
of India announced a new water policy based on privatization by the world bank recipes (Shiva
2002). 163 million people don't have access to clean water and that number has gone up over the
past few decades and so has privatization (Pandi 2019). The private businesses continue to break
rules and regulation that keep them from taking away all water from rural areas. This rise in
privatization has led to price fixing and amplified prices, which in effect people can't afford the
water. This is a big problem and India is working to fix it since 21% of diseases in India are
linked to unsafe water.
The nation of India would like to keep water privatization because it brings in profit and
competition to make the best water. Although right now it is a problem it's because of weak
regulations which most companies disregard anyways. India needs to carefully watch the
companies that do this and make sure they follow regulations. India also needs put in place new
rules that require companies to give water back to rural communities. This solves the problem of
rural areas not having a place to get water and will eventually solve the disease problem. Taking
away water privatization completely could destroy the economy and ruin investments (Goodman
1991).
“Water Privatization.”

-Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Apr. 2019,

-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_privatization.

“76 Million Don't Have Safe Drinking Water: India's Looming Water Crisis | World Water Day

Special.”

-NDTV, 22 Sept. 2017, -swachhindia.ndtv.com/76-million-dont-have-safe-drinking-

water-indias-looming-water-crisis-5606/.

“Privatising India's Water Is a Bad Idea.

-” The Wire,

thewire.in/politics/water-privatisation.

“19% Of World's People without Access to Clean Water Live in India.”

-Down To Earth

-www.downtoearth.org.in/news/water/19-of-world-s-people-without-access-to-clean-

water-live-in-india-60011.

“Water Privatization in India.

-” Water Privatization in India

-| Public Citizen, www.citizen.org/water-privatization-india.

Status of Groundwater Quality in India

-Part - II,

www.indiawaterportal.org/data/status-groundwater-quality-india-part-ii.

Water privatization started in the late 1990s and shortly after became a problem. In India
water is scarce for most people 76 million people don't have access to clean drinking water.
Water privatization is private sector participation in the provision of water services and
sanitation. The nation of India would like to keep water privatization because it brings in profit
and competition to make the best water. Although right now it is a problem it's because of weak
regulations which most companies disregard anyways. India needs to carefully watch the
companies that do this and make sure they follow regulations. India also needs put in place new
rules that require companies to give water back to rural communities. This solves the problem of
rural areas not having a place to get water and will eventually solve the disease problem. Taking
away water privatization completely could destroy the economy and ruin investments.