Privatization of water supply

Governments of developing countries are confronted with enormous costs in providing water supply to the public. In an effort to alleviate the pressure on the national budget, privatising part of the water sector receives wider attention. The author starts with a chapter on privatization of state owned enterprises in general. Main focus is on the structural adjustment policies of many developing countries and the claim of increased efficiency through privatization. To get a better overview of privatization of water supply services in the global context, the author asked students and former students of the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) to fill in a questionnaire about the water privatization in their respective country of origin. The sample covered 35 countries with 91 questionnaires with additional interviews (in the case of WEDC students of 1992). The last chapter deals with the privatization experiences and recommendations in Mexico, citing three cases: Aguascalientes Management Contract, the BiWater International Build-Operate-Transfer-Contract for wastewater treatment in Puerto Vallarta and some smaller examples in rural Mexico.