Thousands of protesters clashed with Malaysian police to call for an end to privatization of water utilities in the country. And close to 60 people were arrested for defying a police ban and attempting to march on the streets. Earlier, opposition legislators gathered near the National Mosque to address the crowd about issues concerning privatization in Selangor, a state which surrounds the capital Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government has embarked on progressive privatization of water following concerns of water scarcity in the country. Currently urban Malaysians use 500 liters of water per day. The government says this could increase to 700 liters per day due to rapid urbanization in the country. Selangor is the richest state in the country and ruled by the opposition alliance led by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. In 2005, the federal government privatized water management in Selangor to Syabas but the opposition said it has only incurred losses and may need to be bailed out. Selangor wants to take back water management but this effort is being blocked by the government and Syabas. Research done has projected that by 2050, 65 countries would be hit by water supply problems with a total of seven billion people affected. The debate about water privatization has been intensifying in Malaysia. However human rights workers say that there are many other avenues of ensuring adequate water supply in the country without burdening the poor as privatization would lead to a hike in tariffs. But they also say that this needs policy changes from the government. Video at the link. added by: JanforGore
