Uruguayan people change constitution for the human right to water

October 31 of 2004 became a historical day for Uruguay and the global water movement, when more than 60% of the Uruguayan people supported the Constitutional Reform in Defence of Water, adding water as a human right to the constitution and setting the basis for its exclusively public, participative and sustainable management.

This referendum was promoted by the National Commission in Defence of Water and Life (CNDAV). The commission was created in 2002 as an answer to the signing of a ‘Letter of Intent' between the Uruguayan government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which committed to extend the privatization of potable water and sanitation services to the entire country. Privatizations started in Maldonado department, firstly with the presence of French multinational company Suez Lyonnaise followed by Spanish company Aguas de Bilbao. As in most cases of water privatizations performed during last years, these processes have had negative consequences.

From the social point of view, wide sectors were prevented access to potable water for not being able to afford the cost of the service, which considerably decreased its quality with respect to the services granted by water state company OSE. The conditions of the service were of such low quality that quality control bodies in that matter recommended not to consume water because it didn't comply with minimum quality standards.

The victory of the water plebiscite was actually a social one. CNDAV is a wide group of social and political organisations, which oppose a merchandising conception of water. Among their founders are neighbourhood organizations, FFOSE (water state company's trade union) and REDES-FOE (Friends of the Earth Uruguay).

However, despite its political support, the water plebiscite was secondary within the politic and media agenda. In addition to this, privatizing companies, of water and other sectors (as bottling companies) as well as conservative business sectors (large estate owners, forestry and rice) carried out a strong politic and media lobby against the reform. During the nine months previous to the campaign, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) started a public debate with the CNDAV, denying any imposition to the Uruguayan government and refusing the responsibility attributed to the content of the 2002 ‘Letter of Intent', which functions like a contract between government and IMF. The work, which enabled the triumph of the Constitutional Reform, was based on the grassroots, which transmitted the spirit and content of the proposed articles.

The auspicious result of the plebiscite opens the doors for a water policy designed from a vision of this particular resource as a common good, to be publicly managed on the basis of social participation and sustainability criteria. The outcome of the plebiscite also proves the viability and potential of popular efforts and alliances in defence and protection of social common goods. It was an inspiring sign of hope for the international community of defenders of the human right to water.

(text provided by Danuta Sacher, Brot für die Welt)