In 2005 the Municipal Chamber of Manaus decided to open a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry in order to investigate the causes of the lack of water in town. The private company that runs water in the Amazonian capital, "Aguas do Amazonas" (Suez group) states that investors decided to reduce funds aimed at the network growth. The company itself presented a review inquiry of the terms of the licence contract asking the State to intervene by covering most of the necessary investments.

In the meantime, diseases linked to the use of non-treated water are increasing in town (those who do not receive water at home must use water of non-controlled wells), a lot of families queue before wells, some others have to deal with astronomical bills (sometimes more than 100 Euros every month).

How to get out of this situation? Manaus realizes that the European privatization system cannot work in a developing country where, beside a strong demographic growth, there is one of the worst income distributions of Brazil.

"The wooden harbour will never be able to be Liverpool", each town, each culture will have to find in its own history, in its own culture resources and projects to meet the challenges of globalization.