“Water is life! And life cannot be privatized!”
Managua – On October 12, the Dia de la Raza, a day celebrating the multicultural heritage of the people of Latin America, thousands of people converged on the capital to march in protest against the decision to privatize the Commercial Management services of Enacal (Empresa Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, National Firm of Aqueducts and Sewers), set to take place this coming January. Those present, representing numerous NGOs, religious groups, syndicates, unions, universities, indigenous groups and consumer groups marched under the baking afternoon sun from the central offices of Enacal to the National Assembly, where cries of “Water is life! And life cannot be privatized!” filled the air.
According to the Nicaraguan newspaper, El Nuevo Diario, a bidding process is currently underway in which interested firms can apply for consideration in the contracting-out process of the Commercial Management services of Enacal, a state-owned firm. Enacal hails this move as a step towards “modernization,” while the throngs of civil society groups see it as a masked attempt at privatization and a step towards increased prices and a reduction in the reach and quality of services provided.
Yesterday’s march may however have little effect on the future of Enacal’s move to subcontract its Commercial Management services. According to the October 13 El Nuevo Diario, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has already awarded Enacal with part of the loan needed to begin the process, which has been used to purchase 27,000 water meters from a Spanish company.
The struggle to guarantee quality, universal access to basic public services such as water and to guard against the excesses and abuses accompanying economic globalization is an ongoing battle that needs your support! What can you do to help?
Get informed!
Understand both sides of the privatization issue.
Pro-privatization
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Privatizing-Water-Sanitation-Services/
Read the brief top section entitled About Privatizing Water and Sanitation Services. Scroll down to the paper entitled Has Private Participation in Water and Sewerage Improved Coverage? Empirical Evidence from Latin America
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Impact-Infrastructure-Privatization/
Read the brief top section About Impact of Infrastructure Privatization. Scroll down to the case study, commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank entitled Distributive Impact of Privatization in Latin America: An Overview of Evidence from Four Countries (focus on Nicaragua starts on p.11).
Anti-privatization
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/articles.cfm?ID=11216
Several informative fact sheets about water privatization in both English and Spanish.
Click on the Water for All link.
Take action!
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/activist/index.cfm
An extensive website offering a wealth of information including, among other resources, background information on issues surrounding national and international water privatization, a Citizens Guide to Water Privatization and a tool kit of action suggestions ranging from how to contact government officials to finding films to show in your community.
Sources
- Gomez, Oliver and Lilliam Obando, “Marchan por el agua, pero ‘licitación va.’” El Nuevo Diario 13 October 2004, 2A.
- March against water privatization. Managua, Nicaragua, 12 October 2004.
- http://www.citizen.org/cmep/
- http://www.quixote.org (Quest for Peace link)
- http://www.worldbank.org