THE CRISIS ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ • are being built upon all major rivers to provide water to non-sustainable . The • Areas affected by drought are on the increase. As Tehri , which is destroying the ecology of many as 30 of the country’s total 35 the Himalayas and the survival options of meteorological sub-divisions suffered from thousands of people, is one among the 10 dams drought in the summer of 2001. In Chhatisgarh, to be built upon the Ganga to provide water to 69 lakh people in nine out of sixteen districts; Delhi. in Gujarat, 291 lakh people in 22 of total 25 districts; in MP, 95 lakh people in 32 districts; in • The sale of is increasing by 30% Orissa, 270 lakh people in 24 districts; in every year. Rajasthan, 330 lakh people in 31 out of 32 PRIVATISATION OF WATER: districts; in Himachal Pradesh 4 out 12 district WORLD AND WTO’S SOLUTION TO THE and in Maharashtra 21 out of 36 districts. WATER CRISIS • Groundwater is being non-sustainably exploited, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, The solution to the water crisis, according to the Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and World Bank, is of water. The Uttar Pradesh. In areas with extensive Privatisation Policy of the World Bank recommends: monocropping, such as Punjab and Haryana, • commercializing operations at all levels; this exploitation has reached 100% in some • private investment; districts. In Mehsana, Gujarat, the rate of • substantial increase in water prices; groundwater exploitation has increased by 145% • increase in agricultural power tariffs; between 1984 and 1992. • creation of water markets. • The national cost of fetching water is 150 million The WTO Ministerial Meet at Doha in November woman days each year, causing a national loss 2001 has pushed through global trade in water. of Rs.10 billion per year. • 90 million days are lost every year due to water DEVIOUS MEANS TO PRIVATISE WATER borne diseases. By usurping the word ”Panchayat” for creating user • 80% of the children of India suffer from groups or “stakeholders” who pay for water, the water-borne diseases. Of these, 7,00,000 die World Bank is undermining the concept of each year. community control over this . The • 44 million people suffer from problems related World Bank’s Pani Panchayats or Water Committees to – the presence of fluoride, iron, do not represent the entire community, but are nitrate, arsenic and salinity. formed with those who have financial, social and CORPORATE TRADE IN WATER: DENIAL OF BASIC NEEDS AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS Privatisation of Water: Turning a Basic (Emotional) Need of the people to an Economic Need of Capital, and the Ideological and Future Needs of MNCs1

Forces Emotional Economic Ideological Future needs state needs state needs state needs state

Supply and demand Primary Tertiary Tertiary Tertiary

Health Primary Secondary Tertiary Tertiary

Regulation Secondary Primary Tertiary Tertiary

Asset development Secondary Primary Tertiary Tertiary

National and supranational interest Primary Secondary Secondary Tertiary

Environment Secondary Secondary Secondary Tertiary

Competition Tertiary Secondary Secondary Primary

Technology Tertiary Tertiary Secondary Primary

New Entrants Tertiary Tertiary Secondary Primary

New Tertiary Tertiary Secondary Primary

political clout, and who support the local ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ negotiations and Trade and Environment Section administration. These groups, working with selected of the Doha Declaration will press for including Organisations (SOs) or Special Purpose water in national commitments, so that India (SPVs) take control over the community’s will be forced to provide national treatment and , operate and manage it in return market access rules to benefit MNCs. for fees paid by the users. Users have to repay the Corporations have estimated that the global capital (fixed assets) costs over a period of time, and total water market is 500 billion Euro. The have to pay immediately in full for the operation emerging market in water in India is estimated to and . In Orissa, the price of lift be over US $ 2000 million, of which 1/3rd will be irrigation water to users has increased almost 10 water provisioning, 1/3rd municipal water treatment, times since the creation of the Pani Panchayats. and 1/3rd industrial water treatment. The main In Uttaranchal and in Uttar Pradesh, the World players in corporate trade in water are: Vivendi Bank scheme for is known as (France), Suez Lyonnaise (France), RWE/Thames “Swajal”. Of the total cost of US $ 71 million for Water (Germany, UK), Saur (France) and Severn the time bound (1996-2002) project, the World Trent (UK), Bechtel and , who today control Bank’s share is 84%, the state government 5%. The almost all the private water sources and ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ rest of the cost (US $ 7.64 million) has to be borne management in the world today. by the user groups. In addition, the groups have In India, Monsanto is also a leading player, to bear the entire operation and management cost which has entered into a Joint Venture with TATA from the inception of the project. Thus, for latrines to take over the supply system. and other individual assets such as compost pits, each user pays almost 40% of the capital costs, BOTTLED WATER taking sanitation and sustainable out of Bottled water, which is often just as good as tap the reach of most of the people. water, costs up to 1000 times as much as tap World Bank is not just forcing markets in water, water. but is also demanding full cost recovery as the first Worldwide, the bottled water generates step in privatization. The WTO, through its GATS between $20 billion and $30 billion. Over the past thirty years, the market has steadily grown at a rate of seven percent What happens when water gets privatised: each year, with Western Europe The experience of Bolivia being the largest consumers even though potable tap water is readily orld Bank relentlessly forced privatization of the water system, over the clear available in most of its areas. Wobjections of many Bolivian citizens and leaders. In February 1996 the World Currently, Bisleri is the market Bank told Cochabamba’s mayor that unless it privatized its water system the could forget receiving any additional World Bank assistance for local water leader with 45% shares followed development. In July 1997 World Bank officials told Bolivian President, Gonzalo by Bailley with 23-24% market Sánchez de Losada, that the privatization of the Cochabamba water system was shares. Aquafina of Pepsi Company also a pre-condition of receiving international debt relief from the Bank, IMF and and Kinley of Coca-cola company others. too have market share in the The process that resulted was carried out in a shroud of secrecy, with just one range of 8-9%. Other major players bidder - International Limited and the Bechtel Corporation - and by a government completely unequipped to adequately negotiate with or regulate a are Manikchand, UB and Britannia. private . Laws were changed to allow the corporation monopoly rights According to a national-level study, over water. there are close to 200 bottled The hike in water tariff was due primarily to the company’s demand for a water brands in India. guaranteed profit (an average 16% per year, according to their contract) and to the The market for bottled water in fact that the water users were expected to pay off Bolivia’s huge debt to the World India is growing at a whopping Bank itself. In fact on June 14, 1999, the World Bank stated “No public subsidies rate of about 55 per cent annually should be given to ameliorate the increases in water tariffs in Cochabamba...” and is expected to cross Rs. 1000- Following the completion of water privatization in Cochabamba last January, the crore mark within the next couple people of this valley saw their water bills climb by double and more. To seek recourse they were forced to shut down their city for a week, and to endure of years. Some surveys show that government tear gas, bullets, and repression which left a 17 year old boy dead truck drivers on highways form a and more than 100 others injured. major chunk of bottled water The people’s struggle forced Bechtel to run away from Bolivia. The government had drinkers. Penetration in rural areas to invalidate the new laws it had made to allow privatization of water. is another significant factor that is likely to play a key role in the development of the ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Life, and thus access to safe water is a fundamental bottled water trade. right. While people believe that bottled water is The 73rd and 74th Amendments to the safe, this is not always true. Tests conducted Constitution, guaranteeing Panchayati Raj, by CERC, Ahmedabad, on 13 brands of bottled recognize the right of the Gram Sabha over their water available in the market found arsenic, natural resources, which includes water. , and 6 other impurities in the water. The move to privatise water thus contravenes Further 5 brands were found to have particles the Constitution of India and the rights guaranteed ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ visible to the naked eye. Samples of the same brand to its People by it. obtained from different places showed different JAL SWARAJ quality. (CAMPAIGN FOR WATER LIBERATION) Also, the use of plastic bottles and emissions from transporting bottles long distances have a The Campaign for Water Liberation (Jal Swaraj) damaging impact on the environment. was launched by Navdanya/Research Foundation for Science, and Ecology, together with national and international groups on 16th December PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO WATER AS ENSHRINED 2001 to counter the move to privatize water. IN THE CONSTITUTION The Campaign adopted the WATER LIBERATION Art. 21 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the DECLARATION, which has since been signed by People of India the Right to Life. Water is vital to almost 100 national and international . WATER LIBERATION DECLARATION

WATER IS LIFE. IT’S A GIFT OF NATURE. THE ACCESS ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ UTILIZED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN THEIR NATURAL TO WATER IS A NATURAL AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT. SETTING. IT IS NOT TO BE TREATED AS A AND WE THE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL TRADED FOR PROFIT. PEOPLE SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT NOT ALLOW OUR WATERS TO BE MADE A COMMODITY TO FREEDOM FROM THIRST, AND SHALL HAVE FOR PROFIT. ADEQUATE ACCESS TO SAFE WATER FOR ALL OF THEIR WE WILL TOGETHER TO LIBERATE WATER LIVING NEEDS. FROM CORPORATE / PRIVATE AGENCIES, CONTROL EXPERIENCES ALL OVER THE WORLD REVEAL QUITE AND RETURN IT TO THE PEOPLE FOR COMMON GOOD. CONVINCINGLY THAT WATER WHICH IS “LIFE” IS BEING WE DEMAND THE GOVERNMENTS ALL OVER THE PRIVATIZED AND BROUGHT UNDER CORPORATE WORLD SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO DECLARE CONTROL. THIS WILL DEPRIVE THE PEOPLE OF WATER THAT THEY ACCEPT WATERS IN THEIR TERRITORIES A LIFELINE FOR SURVIVAL. ALL THE WATER RESOURCES PUBLIC GOOD AND EXACT STRONG REGULATORY SHOULD BE OWNED, CONTROLLED, MANAGED AND STRUCTURE TO PROTECT THEM.

The Campaign for Water Liberation focuses ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Ongoing community actions on three issues: • Asserting rights to water resources • Liberating Water from Markets • Saying ‘No’ to privatization of local water • Ensuring water rights resources • Establishing water sovereignty • Jal Swaraj (Water Watch) Committees to prevent privatization of local water resources Actions planned include: • Promoting water-prudent agriculture For International Water Day on March 22 • Public Hearings on Water Crisis and Solutions in RESOURCE MATERIAL Orissa, Hyderabad, Delhi. Subsequent public hearings will be organized in other parts of the Water Manifesto by Ricardo Petrella country, including Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab Blue Gold published by International Forum • mountains of bottled water to stress on on Globalisation the water crisis and the environmental impact of Water Wars by Vandana Shiva using plastic for water ○○○○○○○○○ Privatisation of Water: Some for All or All • Women’s water actions from March 8 till for Some? by Navdanya March 22. • Rashtriya Pani Panchayat: National Public Hearing Water: Commodity, Commons, Basic Right, on Water, March 22. Divinity by Ramaswamy R. Iyer

NAVDANYA / Research Foundation for Science, Technology & Ecology A-60, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110 016 Tel.: 6561868, 6968077, 6853772 • Fax: 6562093, 6856795 E-: [email protected] • : vshiva.net