WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

A CITY’S MAD PRIVATISATION
SPREE – HOW STUTTGART SOLD OFF ITS
GAS, ELECTRICITY AND WATER SUPPLIES
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Stuttgart is the only German city to have privatised its entire gas,
electricity and drinking water infrastructure, together with all the
assets belonging to these supply networks. In other cities, such as
Munich and Augsburg, authorities voted by a majority against selling
the municipal water supply. Even bankrupt Berlin, despite its financial
crisis and the sale of some shares, retained a majority interest in its water
supply. In the comparatively prosperous city of Stuttgart, however, the
council, under the leadership of Mayor Wolfgang Schuster, presented
local citizens with a fait accompli. The energy and water supplies
were sold to the Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW) company,
including the shares in the communal special-purpose associations, the
Bodenseewasserversorgung (BWV, i.e. Lake Constance water supply
and distribution network) and the Landeswasserversorgung (LWV,
i.e. provincial state water supply and distribution network) – as well
as the water subscription rights! There had been no adequate public
debate beforehand, although this would have been crucial prior to any
such far-reaching decision.
In February 2002, hardly any of the city’s 600,000 inhabitants
were aware that the council had just voted in favour of privatising the
water supply, with only four votes against. Even the newspapers shed
extremely little light on the matter. Although municipal authorities did
their utmost to cover up what they had done, only hesitantly providing
fragments of information on the subject, the first conflicts and disputes
arose later that year between the public and the council. Sensitised
by the events and activities – organised by critics of globalisation –
which were taking place at the time in Forum 3 (a youth and cultural
centre in Stuttgart), a citizens’ initiative was formed with the goal of
reversing the sale of the city’s water supply. This initiative gave birth
to the Stuttgarter Wasserforum (Water Forum), whose members have
been organising events, activities and campaigns ever since. 15
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