The explosive growth of three private water utility companies in the last 10 years raises fears that mankind may be losing control of its most vital resource to a handful of monopolistic corporations. In Europe and North America, analysts predict that within the next 15 years these companies will control 65 percent to 75 percent of what are now public waterworks.
This Center for Public Integrity mini-site details the worldwide push by multi-national corporations (often fronted by the World Bank and IMF) to privatize water, something which generally leads to higher prices and reduced water quality.