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An ICIJ Investigation

The Water Barons

The explosive growth of private water utility companies raises fears that mankind may be losing control of its most vital resource.

  • 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.
  • Companies have worked closely with the World Bank and other international financial institutions to gain a foothold on every continent, and have aggressively lobbied to force cities to privatize their water.
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