Thinking local on #WorldWaterDay
About
Today is World Water Day! This year’s theme, ’Water and Jobs’ is a great opportunity to remind the benefits of publicly-owned water and energy services.
As much as energy, water is a precious good that should be affordable and accessible for everybody. In Europe, there is a growing movement to give water services back in public hands. Disappointed by the services delivered by private companies, several European cities recently chose to create their own water management utility, creating stable jobs, improving the services quality and decreasing the water bill for their citizens.
Water services under public control in Paris
The city of Paris’ water policy exemplifies this trend. Rising water prices and the poor accountability of the managing companies Veolia and Suez persuaded the municipality to end its contract in 2008. In a next step, the Paris City Council voted for a 100% publicly owned water system managing the entire production chain, from resource protection to delivery to the end user. Since January 2010, Eau de Paris is in charge of the water provision for the French capital. As a result, Parisians saw their water bill decrease by 8%. Since 2014, Eau de Paris is headed by Célia Blauel, Deputy Mayor of Paris.
Come and discuss water and energy re-municipalisation with us in Bornova, Turkey!
Indeed, by owning and managing local resources, cities and regions can foster their autonomy and resilience. During Energy Cities’ 2016 Annual Conference in Bornova (1-3 June) one panel session will discuss why and how communities remunicipalise:
- What advantages does it bring to seek public control and to transition to a public service scheme?
- In which places is a private management more appropriate?
Panellists and the audience will explore the various options tested in Europe and Turkey.
More information and registration: bornova2016.energy-cities.eu
| About World Water Day Created by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993, the Water World Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issue. This year, the campaign is focused on how enough quantity and quality of water can change workers’ lives and livelihoods – and even transform societies and economies. On this occasion a report on world water development titled ’Water and Jobs’ was launched by the United Nations. |
Photo credit label © Adrian van Leen for openphoto.net
Photo credit inside: © Miroslav Vajdić for openphoto.net
