Original subtitles

In 2004 the situation got better.

Due to the pipeline.

But I get only two to three jerrycans a day.

That has to satisfy ten people,

for drinking, cooking and washing.

Sometimes we are two to three days without water.

Due to borehole problems, may be lack of electricity

Then we have to wait for the specialists to repair the system.

It is exhausting.

We have to share with the neighbours, and economize even more.

I have often wondered what is the most important single factor

that could ensure a company continuing for another 140 years.

And I always come to the same conclusion - water.

In my opinion that is an absolute right

when someone says they do not want a bottling operation in their community

That is something we must also understand.

It is a question of whether the normal water supply for the population

should be privatized or not.

And there are two points of view.

One - I would call it an extreme point of view -

is that supported by NGOs

which insist on water

being declared a public right.

In other words,

as a person you simply should have a right to have water.

That's an extreme solution.

The other view is

that water is a foodstuff,

and just like any foodstuff it should have a market value.

Of course, we know them very well and we have intensive discussions with them.

The situation varies from country to country,

from city to city or - as in the USA - from state to state.

In several countries there are people who are very happy

to see us building factories or connecting wells.

In others there's discussion

about whether or not we're interfering with the natural water-flow.

When we drill a well, here's one thing you shouldn’t forget.

It's in our inherent interest

that the well can be sustained long-term.

Nothing could be worse for us

than building up a brand

and then discovering there's no water to fill it up.

We are interested

in sustainable source areas and not in short-term operations.

This water is not consumable. But it's the only one available.

Once we drink this water we get different diseases, stomach diseases.

New water pipes should be placed in this area.

Carbon is coming even through the pipes.

Straight away it is visible. Big particles are present in the water.

The water is too dirty.

You have to boil it, filter it

and then drink it.

If you drink it, you have to rush to the toilet

because this water causes digestion troubles.

There are long water worms inside. They are moving inside.

We do not show this water to the children. Otherwise they will not drink it.

They will be too much disturbed.

In our opinion Nestlé has taken our water from us.

Nestlé put its own tube well in the factory.

Now the water has become very dirty.

The water level used to be at 100 feet,

now the level is down to 300 to 400 feet.

We worry a lot.

Medical people tell us, the reason is bad water.

Kids should not drink it. This girl is continuously sick.

If you keep on giving this water to the kids, they keep on going to the toilet.

They cannot digest the water.

They tell us to boil the water first

and kill the germs.

But we cannot afford to boil it all the time.

We are poor people.

This water is not consumable.

Neither for kids nor for adults.

With this water different diseases like Hepatitis can occur.

There is the danger of many diseases spreading.

If the people of this village and area can get better water,

there will be better health and the diseases will stop.

We've asked them for a tube well.

At least they should provide us with a small pipe

with an outlet of water through the wall.

With such a solution,

we the villagers, could fetch the water this way with cans.

They would show us a little gesture.

The 6th International Human Rights Forum

opened this morning in Lucerne.

The event is usually a peaceful affair.

But this year is different.

Because of the participation of Nestlé's chairman, Peter Brabeck.

Members of the Swiss workers' union say

that Nestlé itself violates human rights,

and has no place at such a forum.

To say simply that water is a human right

is perhaps not enough.

In reality it is not a matter of whether water is a human right,

because quite clearly it is.

It's more a question of

how can we implement this human right.

We shouldn't reflect so much on whether water is a human right,

but rather reflect how to ensure permanent access

to water in daily life.

There are also a few other basic problems which need solving.

The most important point, without question is that more must be invested in water infrastructure.

And secondly, there should be no subsidies

for the owners of swimming pools and golf courses

and for bio fuels produced from plants cultivated specifically for the purpose.

But there should be subsidies for water for the poorest and for nature.

I have often wondered what is the most important single factor

that could ensure a company continuing for another 140 years.

And I always come to the same conclusion - water.

We need water,

our consumers need water in order to live,

we need water to grow raw materials,

we need water in our manufacturing operations

For Nestlé,

water is the most critical and most important factor for sustainability.

It is not easy to fetch water.

It is along way to the water stations.

Sometimes the pumps don't work

because there is no petrol.

Then you have to go to another station

that is even further away.

And there are only four stations around.

For our family the daily budget is six dollars.

Half of that we use to buy water.

In the Third World today... ...in the Third World in general...

more than 96% of drinking water supplies are in the hands of the state.

And it doesn't work.

And that has nothing to do with privatization.

Why don't you want to get away from this ideology

and face the facts.

The problem is not privatization or non-privatization.

The problem is that the investment is not there to ensure a reliable water supply system.

The problem is that in the Third World...

In Europe there is a loss of 30 to 35%

because of infrastructural defects.

In the Third World the loss is 60 to 70% of piped water.

That's the problem.

Who now deals with this problem doesn't matter.

If the state wants to deal with, let it.

I believe that this will make me rich.

We produce like 2000 bags.

Inside one bag you have 200 half liter pieces.

Or 120 pieces with the 75 centiliters content.

The procedure for bottled water is a little bit hard

because we are using manual production.

First we fill the bottle,

then comes the wrapper, topper and the mould.

All that takes a lot of time.

So our production of bottles is just minimal.

Let me say 50 canons of bottled water a day.

For all of us who just started,

I can say Nestlé has been ahead all over the world.

While our business is just Lagosian now.

So you know there is a great difference between the two.

But we are praying to grow like them.