How Bolivians beat a corporate water grab.
In 1999, when a subsidiary of the multinational Bechtel took over managing water services in Cochabamba, Bolivia – as part of a wave of privatizations in the country – tariffs were hiked, forcing most residents to pay a fifth of their earnings for this vital provision.
Rainwater was deemed Bechtel’s property and its collection banned, leaving residents captive to the company’s tariffs.
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