Water Grabbing
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"Water grabbing refers to situations where powerful actors are able to take control of or divert valuable water resources and watersheds for their own benefit, depriving local communities whose livelihoods often depend on these resources and ecosystems. The ability to take control of such resources is linked to processes of privatization, commodification and take-over of commonly-owned resources. They transform water from a resource openly available to all into a private good whose access must be negotiated and is often based on the ability to pay. Water grabbing thus appears in many different forms, ranging from the extraction of water for large scale food and fuel crop mono-cultures, to the damming of rivers for hydroelectricity, to the corporate takeover of public water resources." (WaterJustice, 2012)
This practice is most evident in poorer countries, where big business come in and buy up all of the land that has water access. They then divert and capture the water for their profit, leaving locals without access to the natural resource to grow their crops and keep their lives running.
Corporations in agriculture, mining, hydro power and other large economic contributors bring so much money into their businesses and provide more in terms of economic growth than small, local farms, community access to water and native fishing. Because of this fact policies and foreign investment tend to favor the large corporations rather than small stakeholders, which encourages water grabbing to happen. (Franco, et al, 2013)
This practice is most evident in poorer countries, where big business come in and buy up all of the land that has water access. They then divert and capture the water for their profit, leaving locals without access to the natural resource to grow their crops and keep their lives running.
Corporations in agriculture, mining, hydro power and other large economic contributors bring so much money into their businesses and provide more in terms of economic growth than small, local farms, community access to water and native fishing. Because of this fact policies and foreign investment tend to favor the large corporations rather than small stakeholders, which encourages water grabbing to happen. (Franco, et al, 2013)