American Cities Battle Private Water Companies for Public Control of Water

National Radio Project. Posted January 29, 2009.

The privatization of public water supplies is occurring in many places around the world. Sold like a common commodity, the rights for distribution and management of community water are being bought and controlled more and more by private entrepreneurs and corporations. But a global movement of activists say this most basic element of life should stay in the hands of the people who use it and out of the control of profit-seeking corporations or government bureaucracies.

On this edition, we investigate what's behind customer complaints of American Water, North America's largest private water company. And we'll take you to Detroit, Michigan, where anti-poverty activists are leading the fight to demand that access to water be treated as a human right and not a commodity.

See more stories tagged with: water, privatization, right to water

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