Dutch official: Water services must remain under state control

The purpose of water services is not to generate profit, Jerry van den Berge, representative of the Water Resources Management Group at Wageningen University (Netherlands), said during the Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) Assembly at the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, according to Report.

The official stressed that the primary goal of private companies is profit, whereas the main purpose of water services is to ensure universal access to water: "If a company does not make profit, it ceases operations. But the essence of water services is to guarantee access for all. Handing over water services entirely to private operators changes the very nature of the service."

Van den Berge explained that while cooperation with private companies is possible in certain areas – such as laboratory testing, research, or consultancy services – this does not mean full privatization of water services.

He emphasized that since water is a public service, it must remain under state supervision to safeguard its accessibility and fairness.