Question

What was the important reason for Bolivia's Water War?
A. Decrease in water supply by MNC
B. Increase in the price of water by the Government
C. Privatization of water
D. Pressure of World Bank to release water

Answer 1

Hint:Bolivia, a landlocked nation profile in western-central South America. The country, Bolivia was once part of the ancient Inca empire. Bolivia is named after the freedom warrior Simon Bolivar. It broke free from the Spanish rule in 1825.

Complete answer:
Water is the source of life. And this water may lead to war. Water-related issues are not new to today's world. And one of the most vicious water wars took place in 1999. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, water shortages have caused problems for many decades. In 1999, the public water supplier of Cochabamba, SEMAPA, was leased to the multinational consortium, Aguas del Tunari. The key shareholder of the consortium was Bechtel, a multinational corporation. Their main agenda was to end water related problems in the region, but that turned into a political issue.
Aguas del Tunari was given a concession to supply drinking water and sewerage services to Cochabamba, Bolivia, in September 1999. But a month later, an act was passed on the regulation of water and sanitation. The act included a collection of laws legitimising privatisation. As a result, water rates grew sharply.
In urban areas, protests have occurred as a result of increasing water costs, and in rural areas questions have been raised about the impact of law that has prevented water for irrigation and domestic use. Between February and April 2000, a social dispute erupted over several days of violent fighting between the water warriors and the police. These clashes resulted in the declaration of the National Siege State.
The citizens of Bolivia did not choose to privatise their public water systems. The option was imposed upon them, as was the case in many poor nations around the world, when the World Bank made privatisation an explicit condition of help in the mid-1990s. Poor countries, such as Bolivia, which rely heavily on foreign assistance for survival, are not in a position to say no to such pressures.

The Answer is Option C - Privatization of water.

Note: World Bank water officials say that all the best motives as they advocate for privatisation of water. The bank claimed that weak governments are often too afflicted by local corruption and too poorly prepared to operate public water services efficiently.