“There are people who will buy the water when they need it. And the people who have the water want to sell it. That’s the blood, guts, and feathers of the thing.”
Not a new article but one that is still very chilling and is something that we should all keep in mind. Pay attention and fight local ordinances and laws that prohibit the collection of rainwater…what may seem slightly trivial now is going to matter more than you can imagine in the not-to-distant future. Texas just sued my home state of NM over water rights; corporations and governments are looking ahead but we the people are the ones with the most to lose and yet, we are the ones who do not yet seem to see the writing on the wall.
What could be more basic than the right to water? Think about it. Think about having every source of water on the planet being privately owned and restricted? Look ahead, look up, wake and see what’s coming. Do what you can in your area to stop water privatization…if you want your kids and grandkids to know what it’s like to swim in a pond, lake or river…or if you want to know they will not literally die of thirst if they cannot afford water…start paying attention and fighting these moves…while there is still time to make a difference.
Excerpts (Natural News 4/18/2012)
“Four dollars for a gallon of gas is ridiculous enough, but $4 for a gallon of water could someday became a reality, that is if oil tycoons like T. Boone Pickens and water bottling companies have their way. Privatization of water in which companies control the public’s water sources and free water is a thing of the past appears to be what Pickens and corporations such as Monsanto, Royal Dutch Shell, and Nestle are banking on to increase their vast fortunes…
…The Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development estimates that half the world’s population will reside in areas with significant water stress by 2030. According to a government report entitled Global Water Security, the demand for water will be 40 percent above sustainable water supplies with needs around 6,900 billion cubic meters due to population growth. By 2025, the world’s population will likely exceed 8 billion people.
Private corporations already own 5 percent of the world’s fresh water. Australia is an excellent example of a country already suffering from multiple water droughts. Farmers are selling water rights to brokers, unaware of the long-term effects.
The United States is by no means immune to these plots. Royal Dutch Shell owns groundwater rights in Colorado and oil tycoon Pickens is buying up all he can in Texas. He owns more water than any other person in the U.S. His plan is to sell the water owns, around 65 billion gallons annually, to Dallas and other major cities affected by droughts. Pickens hopes to profit off of desperation, saying “There are people who will buy the water when they need it. And the people who have the water want to sell it. That’s the blood, guts, and feathers of the thing.” He also owns a massive wind farm in the area and natural gas resources, but has admitted that he is no environmentalist, only an entrepreneur who goes where the money is…
…Lawmakers in most states did not foresee water privatization because water was once plentiful. As such, in some cases the only people who legally have a right to stop water privatization plans are the people who reside on the water property. For Pickens and his land near the Ogallala Aquifer this means that he, his wife and three of his employees are the only people who have a say in his privatization plans, according to EarthFirst.com.
The only way people can fight this despicable process is to refuse to support it. Water districts across the U.S. are refusing to purchase water from private companies. If Pickens, Monsanto and others have no one to sell the water to then they will give up. They are only in it for the money. No buyers means no profit…”
Related articles
- Forest Service begins public vetting of new ski area water rights rule (denverpost.com)
- Water must not be privatized! European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) (sunnyromy.wordpress.com)
- Water Bank – a Corporate Entity Trading Water Privately (hori-wood.com)
- Pirate Times: EU Intends to Privatise the “Basis of all Life” (piratetimes.net)
- Investing In Waters’ Future (silvervigilante.com)
- Australia’s Water Markets Succeeding, Yet Severe Challenges Loom (circleofblue.org)
- Ravalli County commissioners, others take issue with USFS water rights move (missoulian.com)
- Corporate Land Grabs Reveal a Hidden Agenda: Controlling the Water (alternet.org)
- The Global Water Grab: Meet the “New Water Barons” (globalresearch.ca)
- Ogallala Aquifer levels in Kansas drop (journalstar.com)
