Introduction / Background

Many students take water availability for granted and yet, by 2025, two-thirds of the world will not have access to clean drinking water. This case study is designed to encourage students to think about water as a limited natural resource, and is used to highlight how the exploitation of water can have far-reaching social, political, and economic effects. The story unfolds as two college students travel to Bolivia over spring break and learn about the real events that took place in Cochabamba in the early 2000s when the water supply system there was privatized.

Designed for a non-majors global ecology course, the case is appropriate for biology major and non-major students, but could also be applied to various disciplines. Although the case deals with a scientific issue, no prior background information on the subject is needed to work through the case. Therefore, the content is suitable for courses in environmental science, ecology, public policy, ethics, and international relations, among others.

Objectives

The goal of this case study is for students to:

• Understand the limited nature of freshwater,
• Appreciate that access to clean water is an issue that does not make distinctions between developed and developing countries,
• Critically evaluate opposing views on water privatization,
• Calculate and analyze current data related to water consumption, and
• Comprehend that they play an essential role in solving the water crisis.

Classroom Management

The case consists of three parts that can be either completed in a single two-hour class or extended over two different days. The professor will provide one section of the case at a time and have the students answer the questions before providing the following part. Although we offer some suggestions on how to manage the case study, individual instructors can easily modify different components to fit their respective class size, schedules, and teaching goals.

This case is designed to have individual, small group, and entire class discussions. Instructors can assign groups prior to starting the case study, use existing permanent groups, or students can be directed to discuss the questions with their neighbors.

Part I – Spring Break

The instructor has two possibilities for initiating this case. Part I can either be provided before class as an assigned reading or, if time allows, it can be given to students at the beginning of class. We recommend that the questions only be given after all students have completed the readings. If technology permits, Chapter 18 of the documentary The Corporation has excellent footage of the events that took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, over the water crisis. There are also excerpts of an interview with Óscar Olivera, the leader of the anti-privatization movement; all within a seven-minute clip.

Give the students a few minutes to individually answer the questions and then have them discuss their opinions in small groups. The basic objective of this set of questions is to have the students consider whether access to water is a basic human right or a commodity that can be bought and sold. After 5 to 10 minutes of discussion, the instructor should ask numerous groups their viewpoints on this issue. A nice way to approach the issue of whether water should be considered a commodity is to take a vote of the entire class.

From our own classroom experience, students are likely going to be divided on this question. In the same way that students have opposing views, the world does too. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) believes that the fundamental solution to the worldwide water crisis is the privatization of this resource. In fact, they have stipulated that in order to receive financial aid, a developing country must privatize their water system. The IMF has subjected some of the poorest countries in the world, such as Rwanda and Tanzania, to these standards (Rothfeder, 2001). This view is not just restricted to the IMF; several international organizations agree that water is a commodity. On the other hand, the United Nations states that water is essential for life and access to it should be considered a basic human right.

Whether or not water is a commodity, it is in short supply and we are currently in a water crisis. With the added threats of pollution, eutrophication, droughts, and flooding, this problem is only going to get worse. Poor management and political disputes have contributed to the problems of access. Freshwater has been at the root of many international and national conflicts in the southwestern United States, the Middle East, and the Nile Basin, among others.

Part II – The Before and After

Begin by having the students examine the water bills before and after privatization presented in Part II of the case. These bills are for a house that is considered category R3, meaning that the home has an indoor toilet, with possibly a shower and a kitchen faucet. Most individuals that live in these homes make an average of $80 per month (The Democracy Center) so this would be the type of home in which Maria lives. The students should note that there was a small increase in water consumption from 35 to 38 cubic meters (an increase of 9%), but the cost of water increased by 92% from $13.67 pre-privatization to $26.27 post-privatization. These data show that Aguas del Tunari’s claim that water consumption is correlated with price is not valid.

Having the students calculate what proportion of an individual’s income is allocated to water is an important step for realizing the value of an essential resource. The best way to put the wealth of water into perspective is to have students draw parallels between Bolivia and the United States. Most people realize the value of a resource when there is a price attached to it, but this case should also allow the students to understand that water has an intrinsic value by being essential for life.

Part III – Water and You

In Part III of the case, students will apply what they have learned from the Bolivia example to answer questions about the state of water worldwide. To make students fully appreciate their own water use, they will calculate their own water consumption. We have provided a table that outlines the typical activities and consumption for a student living in a university dormitory. These calculations are likely underestimated, since many activities such as cooking and watering lawns are excluded for our purposes. A visual technique to present the students’ calculations would be to create a class-wide histogram using post-it notes of total water consumption with categories representing 0-200, 201-400, 401-600, 601-800, 801-1000, and more than 1000 gallons. After students calculate their weekly consumption, they will place the post-it note in the corresponding category to create the histogram. Our experiences show that the majority of students have a consumption of more than 1000 gallons per week, doubling the American average use.

The question asking students how they would communicate this information provides an additional opportunity for assessment. Having the students work outside of class hours on an assignment provides an additional tool for evaluation. Many students are not aware that water is running out, and this assignment provides an opportunity for their peers to become conscious of the problem. The display of the student’s work products (posters, brochures, etc.) in areas like dorms, cafeterias, bulletin boards, and classrooms helps to spread the word that water is limited and we must stop the misuse and abuse of our natural resources.

Answer Key

Answers to the questions posed in the case study are provided in a separate answer key to the case. Those answers are password-protected. To access the answers for this case, go to the key. You will be prompted for a username and password. If you have not yet registered with us, you can see whether you are eligible for an account by reviewing our password policy and then apply online or write to answerkey@sciencecases.org.

Update

Within a few months of Bechtel’s takeover of the water system, the Bolivian government forced Bechtel to withdraw from the country, and the water system was turned over to a public company. In response, Bechtel sued the Bolivian government for 50 million dollars for breach of contract in a trade court run by the World Bank. After four years of court battles and international pressure from countries on five continents, Bechtel agreed to drop the case and settle for 2 bolivianos, the equivalent of 30 cents. This sets a precedent because “this is the first time that a major corporation has ever dropped a major international trade case such as this one, as a direct result of global public pressure” (The Democracy Center).

References

de Villiers, M. Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

Finnegan, W. “Leasing the rain.” The New Yorker, April 8, 2002.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/04/08/020408fa_FACT1 (accessed January 25, 2008).

Reuters. “Average U.S. water costs increase by 7.3%.” September 24, 2008.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS163067+24-Sep-2008+MW20080924 (accessed January 26, 2008).

Rothfeder, J. Every Drop for Sale. New York: Penguin Putnam Press, 2001.

State of Georgia. October 20, 2007. “Governor Purdue Declares Emergency; Requests Presidential Intervention.” Press Release.

http://gov.georgia.gov/00/press/detail/0,2668,78006749_96092834_96286015,00.html (accessed July 25, 2008).

Suez Environnement. 2008. “Facts and figures 2007–2008.”

http://www.suez-environnement.com (accessed July 23, 2008).

The Corporation, directed by M. Archbar, J. Abbott and J. Bakan. Year. Toronto: Big Picture Media Corporation. 2003.

See: http://www.thecorporation.com/index.cfm for more information.

The Democracy Center. “Bechtel vs. Boliva: The Bolivian water revolt.”

http://democracyctr.org/bolivia/investigations/water/ (accessed January 24, 2008).

United Nations Development Program. “Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis.” Human Development Report 2006. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

United States Census Bureau. Facts for Features and Special Editions.

http://www.census.gov Updated August 9, 2006 (accessed September 15, 2008).

United States Geological Survey. Water Science for Schools.

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html (accessed January 26, 2009).

Additional Resources

Glennon, R. Water Follies. Island Press, 2002.

Shiva, V. Water Wars. South End Press, 2002.

Snitow, A., D. Kaufman and M. Fox. Thirst: Fighting Corporate Theft of our Water. Jossey Bass, John Wiley, 2007.

Acknowledgements: This case was published with support from the National Science Foundation under CCLI Award #0341279. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Date Posted: July 22, 2009.

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