A block of southern governments led by Uruguay is building support for an alternative, legitimate forum to be led by the United Nations. Tools

Share and save this post:

AlterNet Social Networks:

As the World Water Forum opened in Istanbul Turkey yesterday, 300 Turkish activists gathered near the forum's entrance were faced with an overwhelming force of 2000-3000 police. The peaceful protest quickly escalated as police charged the crowd, firing water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets and lunging into the crowd with fists and truncheons.

The World Water Forum is a triennial gathering which, according to it's website, is "an open, all-inclusive, multi-stakeholder process" where governments, NGOs, businesses and others "create links, debate and attempts to find solutions to achieve water security." The World Water Council, the forum's main organizer, is dominated by two of the world's largest private water corporations, Suez and Veolia. Loïc Fauchon, president of the Council, is also the president of Groupe des Eaux de Marseille, a company owned jointly by Veolia and a subsidiary of Suez. The alternate president, Charles-Louis de Maud'huy, has been working at Compagnie Générale des Eaux, a subsidiary of Veolia, since 1978. Critics contend that the Council's links to Suez and Veolia, as well as the large representation of the business industry in the Council, compromise its legitimacy.

With 1.4 billion people worldwide lacking access to clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion lacking access to sanitation, according to WHO figures, the issue has come to the forefront of the global agenda, and sparks anger in many who are close to the problem, especially in poor countries.

At a meeting of the Freshwater Action Network, a global gathering of civil society organizations the day before the Forum's opening, Zimbabwean water activist Nyanzone Malimi warned his colleagues from many countries in the Global South, "The World Water Forum is not a politically neutral space ... it is a very ideological space, and so while we are here this week, we've got to go out there and fight and fight and fight and fight and fight."

The World Water Council and the four previous forums have promoted policies such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPP's) that put water services under private ownership. PPP's in Argentina, Bolivia, the US, and other countries have resulted in price hikes, decreased pollution control, and water cut-offs, which, in the language of the water justice movement, "deny people the right to water." Despite these and other harmful impacts, the Istanbul Water Consensus, a key document of the 5th Forum, attempts to secure the commitment of local authorities to similar water policies, including private sector management.

The police riot at the forum's gate resulted in 26 arrests and three people severely injured, two by beating and one by rubber bullets. According to Turkish law, they can be held up to 48 hours before charges are brought. They are expected to be arraigned today.

One of the Turkish organizations protesting the forum is the Campaign 'Another Water Management is Possible.' A spokesperson for the Campaign, Turkish musician Birol Topalolu, has criticized his government's current water policies, focusing on the rash of dams being planned and constructed. Turkey's General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, or DS, plans to build 600 dams on the country's rivers, including several in the Eastern Kurdish region where the local population has been demanding political independence from Turkey for decades.

"Although it is going to create 10,000 megawatts of energy annually, they don't take notice of the damage it will cause to nature," said Topalolu. "There are plans to build 50 dams on just one river near the Black Sea. The Ilsu Dam Project will leave 313 square kilometers of settlement underwater, which will also destroy the 10,000-year-old city, Hasankeyf."
Just after the violent scuffle outside the forum's main gate, another scuffle erupted inside at the inaugural event. Ann-Kathrin Schneider and Payal Parekh of the organization International Rivers unfurled a banner reading 'No Risky Dams.' While many WWF participants applauded the protest, the police immediately detained the two. After being held in jail overnight, charged with "manipulating the public opinion," they were given the option of one year in Turkish prison, or immediate deportation. The two are expected to arrive in their home countries today.

Meanwhile, a block of southern governments led by Uruguay is building support for an alternative, legitimate forum to be led by the United Nations, and high-profile civil society voices such as Maude Barlow are calling for this to be the last World Water Forum.

Jeff Conant is the International Research and Communications Coordinator for Food and Water Watch.

Views: 38

Replies to This Discussion

Thank you so much for starting this most critical discussion on the water crisis. I will share your letter in my network.
It's important to bring the water crisis to everyone on Earth in any way we can. We are all different and can create different ways to bring attention. On May 9th , here in Philadelphia, whose abundant waters have been greatly harmed by
"civilization" and abuses of industry, we are having a Festival to bring attention to the Water issue, The Mother Law Bill of Rights and the pollution in one of our creeks, the Monoshone. I am attaching the flier for the event in hopes that others across the world organize in some way to bring attention to this critical water crisis. peace Maggie Motheral, Philadelphia
Attachments:
Maggie, thank you for your response... I just added another post from Wenonah Hauter of Food & Water Watch who is attending and reporting from the World Water Forum... even though nothing positive for the common good seems to happening at this time, I thought these posts could be viewed and more people informed, so that they themselves can start to make changes for the good...

Like you, I believe as people are made aware of the local, regional, and national environmental and infrastructure issues related to water, they will attempt to make a difference in their daily lives and choices to make a positive change beginning in their personal home and work environments.

I really appreciate what you are doing there in Philadelphia and wish you great success... every spoken word you and all of the event participates make and every action you take is bringing awareness and consciousness to these issues...this results in positive change and action that benefit us all, and Mother Earth.

I look forward to hearing from you again and especially after your festival. Many Blessings, Jewell

P.S. Did you see the Blog Post of James Two Eagles entitled " The world will not end in 2012"? I highly recommend it... I copied and e-mailed to all my fellow members... hopefully, you received... let me know if you didn't and I will send it to you... Jewell

RSS

Latest Activity

Lucy Williams updated their profile
Jul 5, 2023
Sandra Gutierrez Alvez updated their profile
Oct 1, 2022
DallasBoardley updated their profile
Feb 8, 2022
RADIOAPOLLON1242 AIGOKEROS PANOS updated their profile
Feb 2, 2022
Shefqet Avdush Emini updated their profile
Jul 2, 2021
Ralph Corbin updated their profile
Jun 25, 2021
Marques De Valia updated their profile
Mar 24, 2021
SSEAYP - South-East Asian Youth liked David Califa's discussion Flash Banners Here
Feb 29, 2020

© 2024   Created by David Califa. Managed by Eyal Raviv.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service