Maude Barlow on the right to water

Maude Barlow has been touring the US and Canada in support of her new book, Blue Covenant: Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. (Visit Food and Water Watch's website for a list of cities and dates.) Here's an excerpt from a recent article she wrote on Alternet on the need for a United Nation Covenant on water.

For the past 15 years, the World Bank and the other regional development banks have promoted a private model of water development in the global South. This model has proven to be a failure. High water rates, cut-offs to the poor, reduced services, broken promises and pollution have been the legacy of privatization... All over the world, groups who are fighting for local water rights are championing an international instrument on the right to water. Due to over-development and climate change, fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce. In addition, in many communities across the globe, people cannot get access to whatever clean water does exist without paying private corporations. The global water crisis is evident. We need a global solution in form of a United Nation Covenant on water.