Towards Balanced Public-Private Co-operation in Urban Water Management

This review paper explores the experiences from various types of public-private collaboration in terms of water services provision and production over a longer time period. The first modern water systems in many countries were built according to the concession model, but the great majority had been taken over by local governments by the early 20th century. The experiences from the two extreme policies of the later 20^th century-free water services, especially in developing countries, and privatization, particularly in Latin America, proved unrealistic. These and other recent findings imply the need of more realistic policies and assessing development in a wider context. The interests of citizens rather than those of private companies should be the primary concern. It is suggested that the ownership and modes of public-private cooperation should be decided by the municipality/community.