Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Water in Ghana

I don't usually get out my soap box for anything non LGBT based, Especially not this early in the morning, but i just woke up to a report that really jilted me.
People in Ghana have to pay over half their income on water that they have to actually walk to get.
This probably doesn't surprise any of you.
Except one thing. Ghana has an extensive pipe system for the very purpose of providing water to the masses, which can't be turned on because corporations wont allow for it, and the government wont allow charitable corporations help do so.
Ghana actually has vast freshwater resources, but because of privatisation they can use none of it affordably.
The exact story is that the world bank pressured the gov. of Ghana (an African country I've always liked and actually might be able to place on a map) to give one of their most precious resources to corporations in its whole.
Many people spend over half their extremely low income (The example on the BBC was 10 US cents for water alone, over half the family's income) on water which is sometimes polluted.
Maternity wards actually ask the pregnant woman to bring fresh water with them.
THIS is why privatization isn't always good.
World Bank HAS gone back to the middle on this subject, but the damage is done.

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