Newsletter of the Ecumenical Water Network, Number 6 - October 2007
The EWN newsletter is available in
English, Español, Deutsch, Français
Dear colleagues and friends,
31 October 2004 is a historic date for water activists. On this day, the people of Uruguay voted to amend their constitution to recognize the right to water. The international month of action "Blue October" celebrates this event with activities all over the world highlighting that access to water is a universal right and challenging corporate control over water supply and resources.
In El Salvador, for example, ten thousands were on the streets in the beginning of October, demanding policies and laws that benefit all instead of prioritizing economic interests.
Such commitment for social justice and human rights is often dangerous. Water activists in El Salvador have recently been charged under a new "anti-terrorist" law. In July, a peaceful demonstration was broken up in India and 91 women and men were illegally arrested. An Indian court has now condemned the State government for human rights violations and ordered that compensation should be provided for the victims of the arrests.
We wish you an inspiring read for these last days of the month of action.
Your Ecumenical Water Network team,
Maike Gorsboth & Guillermo Kerber
In Norway, politicians race the streets balancing containers of water on their heads. Organizations in Ghana hold community meetings on Water and Electricity Tariffs. In the US and Canada, a broad range of organizations, cities, celebrities, student groups and communities of faith are endorsing the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge. In El Salvador thousands march together demanding better water services.
These are but a few examples of how organizations around the world are showing solidarity with those who are deprived of water during this year’s "Blue October". By challenging corporate control of water and calling for the protection of water as a shared natural resource available to all, the international month of action "Blue October" celebrates that in October 2004 the people of Uruguay voted to amend their constitution to recognize the human right to water.
The EWN supports the month of action with a workshop on "Human rights advocacy for water and sanitation" which will also deal with issues like privatization and the relation between human rights obligations and international trade agreements.
More information:
"This march is blessed because the people stand up in the name of God, demanding that water be cared for and that it be defended. Nobody can silence the lamentation of the people, because it is blessed, as is the reason which impels us to struggle," explained Bishop Medardo Gómez on 5 October in San Salvador.
The streets of the capital city of El Salvador were crowded for hours by thousands of El Salvadorians marching towards the National Legislative Assembly. There, representatives of the Campaign "Blue Democracy" handed over a four-page document to the legislators demanding an improvement of the national laws on water and sanitation.
Bishop Gómez of the Lutheran Synod of El Salvador was not the only church representative explicitly showing support for the march and the people’s demands. Bishop Luís Morao of the Catholic Diocese Calatenango also joined the march which had been organized by more than 125 organizations belonging to the "Blue Democracy" Campaign.
The El Salvadorian government has been much contested for its management of the country’s water resources, and for its repressive behavior towards critics of its policies. In July, 14 people were arrested while demonstrating near Suchitoto against the new policy of decentralization which many expect to be used as a backdoor for privatization. 13 of those who were arrested are now being tried under the new anti-terrorist law.
More information
Communities in India have been encouraged in their struggles for clean water and safe livelihoods by recent developments.
Coca-Cola India might soon be facing a criminal charge for polluting the environment. The Pollution Control Board of the state of Kerala has set a time limit for the factory in Plachimada to give reasons why a criminal case should not be filed against it.
Already in August, the government of Kerala had reaffirmed its support for the campaigning communities. The chief minister of Kerala, Mr. V. S. Achutanandan, promised both legal and financial assistance in the case which is soon to be heard before the Indian Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, in the context of the long lasting conflict over the construction of large dams in India, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save The Narmada Movement) has gained another success. On 25 September, a bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the State Government to pay a compensation of Rupees 10,000 to each of the 91 persons who had been illegally arrested in July 2007.
The Adivasis, fishworkers and farmers affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam, had been demonstrating for land-for-land rehabilitation when the police arrested them and thereafter kept them in jail for several days.
In their decision, the judges called the arrests a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the affected people. The judges were convinced by a video that showed the police forcibly removing people who, contrary to the claims of the administration and police, had been peacefully demonstrating. In its verdict, the court affirmed the rights of the affected people "to agitate peacefully and assert their right to land and livelihood."
Further information:
On 2 September, the citizens of Córdoba in Argentina have said ‘No’ to the contract between their provincial government and Aguas Cordobesas, a private company which is part of the global Suez group and currently providing water and sanitation in the city.
In the referendum, which was held parallel to the general elections, 77.81% of those who participated voted that they did not agree with the current contract. Since the result of the consultation is not binding, the Comisión Popular por la Recuperación del Agua (The Popular Commission to Recover Water), which had led the campaign "The Other No", will now try to ensure that the vote is translated into the establishment of a new, public supply scheme.
More information:
Defend the Global Commons - Blue October Special
Food & Water Watch
Defend the Global Commons is Food & Water Watch’s international water magazine providing news updates from water struggles around the world and communities defending the right to water. In this issue you can read about: Protecting America’s water; Citizens in Córdoba, Argentina win water referendum; Mass support for water rights in Italy; and much more.
The magazine is available in French, Spanish and English.
Clear Waters: Why America needs a Clean Waters Trust Fund
Food & Water Watch
Kicking off Blue October, Food & Water Watch have released a new report highlighting the need for increased federal investment in public water infrastructure in the United States. It calls for a federal water trust fund to provide a steady, reliable, and equitable source of funding for needed projects across the country.
Global cause and effect: How the aid system is undermining the Millennium Development Goals
WaterAid
The report demonstrates how progress towards achieving the goals is being held back by donor preferences for 'global causes' which undermine the development priorities of recipient countries. It shows the need for integrated and accountable approaches which take into account that the MDG on water and sanitation is closely interrelated with the other development goals.
Making Anti-Corruption Approaches Work for the Poor
Swedish Water House
The purpose of this paper, which was presented during the World Water Week in Stockholm this year, is to raise awareness of the need for greater attention to the poor in the development of anti-corruption strategies; the second is to provide some pointers as to how pro-poor anti-corruption strategies might be developed in the water sector.
If you want to stay informed about the EWN, just stay on our list. The EWN Newsletter will reach you about four times a year with information on the EWN itself, new developments concerning the human right to water, international water politics, and local water initiatives. We might also provide additional information by e-mail on special occasions.
You can contact us via e-mail at: water@wcc-coe.org
For more information, please also visit our website at water.oikoumene.org
