Insights

Is private water a human rights violation?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is currently working on a proposal to introduce a human right to water, which may be worded so as to restrict private sector participation in the industry. An independent investigator, Catarina de Albuquerque, has been appointed to look into the role of the private sector in the human right to water. The ...

Where are the trends in procurement driving us?

“We are driven by the way the water market is organized and procured.” So says design-build consultant Ken Hume in an interview for our forthcoming report on the US water market. It is a pertinent observation with a broad relevance for everyone working in the US water market, as well as those eyeing it for future expansion.

The US procurement ...

Unlocking the hidden value in public water utilities

There was an interesting court ruling in Germany last month. The town of Wetzlar in Hessen was found guilty of overcharging for water by a margin of 30% and ordered to cut the amount it charged residents for their water service. It is an unusual event, because in Germany water services are generally provided by municipalities and it is usually ...

The key to Japan’s global ambitions lies within

The Japanese government is putting serious effort behind promoting its water industry to the international market. I know because I have spent this week in Tokyo at a conference organized by Japan’s export development institute, NEDO. The event was packed out with nearly 1,000 attendees who wanted to be part of this new push into international markets.

It ...

Believing in free water and Father Christmas

There seems to be a widespread belief that water – like oil – is running out, and that this is the cause of the global water crisis. Of course it is wrong – water is endlessly renewable, and we currently use only a tiny fraction of what is available, but it does beg the question, what is this global water crisis that people ...

Algeria’s lessons from ACWA Power

Our Maghreb editor, Emilie Filou, who was in Algeria last week, came back with a disturbing description of the economic nationalism which seems to be taking a grip of the country (see GWI’s forthcoming February issue). In recent years, Algeria has been one of the strongest growth markets in the global water industry, with its massive desalination programme and ...