Harping on about anything without coming up with viable alternatives is counter productive. There are alternatives to unregulated corporate capitalism and exploitation of land and people and I am not talking about socialism either.

We could start by ensuring that corporations that are regulated properly, accountable, ethical and humane in their operations and are not driven by profit and economies of scale alone. People are brain fed corporate capitalism and that there is no alternative. What they do not realise is that corporate capitalism corrupts and makes a mockery of democracy and crushes the individual “we the corporations” rather than “we the people”.

You could have a look at this site Poclad which unfortunately is very US based but it is a useful place to BEGIN to think about alternatives and not too threatening for those opposed to or wary of the progressive “Movement for Social Justice” (otherwise known by the media as anti-globalisation but a term which is negative and used to negate a movement for social justice) which is where I stand. There is also
Participatory Economics known as Parecon “a type of economy proposed as an alternative to contemporary capitalism. The underlying values are equity, solidarity, diversity, and participatory self management”. There is a whole bunch of stuff up at ZNet you can read if you are interested.

Now the circumstance surrounding water sourcing is different from oil drilling. I am still struggling with how “water drilling” can directly, and really lead to wide-scale environmental degradation? Maybe I’m just naïve.

I do not want to play the role of an MNC advocate, mind you, but attacking them endlessly without providing other sustainable options may prove to be just as counter–productive. My preference in Africa is that the MNC, government and the people become stakeholders…there is a niche for everyone…the problem is in finding these niches, and having the will and wisdom to make it work.

None of the companies mentioned are contributing anything whatsoever to the eradication of water borne diseases. On the contrary the privatisation of water is actually contributing to problems as people cannot afford to pay the increased cost of using water. Destroying the environment will eventually lead to the destruction of the whole ecological system such as land to grow food, water supply, plants and herbs, animals and creatures. Once these are gone you will then create a new series of diseases and problems for humans to face. So do not for one minute imagine we as humans can continue polluting and destroying the land on which we live and not pay the price – we are paying the price now. Spain is paying the price for extensive development and urbanisation in a region where rainfall is minimal. The Niger Delta is paying the price of pollution of our land by MNCs such as Shell, Chevron and Elf and this is being repeated throughout the world. What benefit have we gained from oil? What benefit have the people of San Lorenzo gained from Nestle’s Pure Life. They have lost their spring water and got nothing in return. The majority of people drinking bottled water are relatively well off. Who in the villages and urban spraws of the Niger Delta can afford to buy bottle water? or in any similiar place in Africa? They are certainly not those struggling to fight off water borne diseases and they will never be because Nestle is not a charity. Nestle’s sole purpose in life is to make a profit and continue with economies of scale – that’s capitalism.

People in the West are not drinking bottled water because tap water is dirty. I suspect that most of them do so because they have succumbed to advertising rather than because the tap water is unclean or carries disease

Are you impling that MultiNational Companies (MNC) are to blame for water problem, particularly in Africa?

Has the MNC involvement in “water” led to further deterioration of the “water situation” in Africa or elsewhere?

It is clear how urban sprawl in some areas can compound “water issues”. And that needs to be addressed. Rather than seeing the MNC as the enermy, perhaps there is a niche for them in Africa. Perhaps the provision of clean water is a step in this direction. After all, what have the government in these areas done to address “water issue” before the MNC’s initiative?

Nadah!

Yes, there may be some “consequences” for “mining/drilling for water”, but nobody is dying anywhere because of this…whereas, millions die each year because of water-borne diseases and many more millions are at risk each year.

Maybe there is room for partnership between the MNC, government and indigenous private sector in these countries?…The playing field is huge and there is room for everyone to be a stakeholder. That is the way I see it.