National

We said 'no' to privatisation of water supply: Bolivian activist

By Kalpana Sharma

HYDERABAD Jan. 8. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the recently-concluded Asian Social Forum was held at the same time and in the same city as the Partnership Summit, sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industry. But the messages emanating from the two forums could not have been more different.

The multiple meetings and the generally chaotic appearance of the ASF tended to obscure the important messages from many individuals, including those from outside India. Among them was a man in khaki, with a black peaked cap perched on his head, who represented a struggle that has become symbolic of people's opposition to the corporatisation of common resources.

Oscar Olivera is the executive secretary of the Coordinadora de Defensa del Agua y de la Vida (Coordinator for the Defence of Water and Life) in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The organisation, which is a coalition of workers, youth, women and professionals, is responsible for ensuring that the water supply to Cochabamba, Bolivia's third largest city, is not taken over by a private corporation. The opposition to the government's plan to do just that led to water riots in April 2000 and the cancellation of the 40-year concession that the government had granted to Aguas del Tunari, a consortium of private companies that included the giant American engineering company, Bechtel.

Mr. Olivera's story of resistance elicited a special response at the ASF as many individuals and groups had expressed their apprehension over the growing trend of the Government handing over essential infrastructure, such as water supply, to private corporate providers.

In Spanish, Mr. Olivera's words sound almost poetic; the English translation is more prosaic. "Life means water, soil and seed.'' One holds no meaning without the other. "The problem lies in how people perceive water. It is a cultural problem. Water is life for people.'' So, when the Bolivian Government, under pressure from the World Bank, went on a privatisation spree, which included handing over Cochabamba's water and sanitation system to Aguas del Tunari, there was an explosion of opposition from people. "When someone comes to you and says this little water is mine and I will sell it, people revolt,'' explained Mr. Olivera. The immediate provocation for the protests was the company's decision to raise water rates by as much as 200 per cent, to offset costs of a major dam that was being constructed elsewhere.

People came out on the streets and protested peacefully. Their protests were not heard. Instead, the government sent out armed police to put down the protesters. In the ensuing clash, a police bullet killed a young man. This forced the government to cancel the contract with Aguas del Tunari.

Mr. Olivera said the victory against Tunari did not mean that people were ready to hand over the water supply to another private company. They decided to set up a different enterprise, which is neither private nor state-controlled. It consists of a board of seven directors, three of whom are chosen through a secret ballot by the people of Cochabamba. Of the rest, one represents the workers' unions, two are from the municipality and one represents professional organisations. The new enterprise, functioning for over two years, has successfully supplied piped water to over half the population of Cochabamba.

"We don't want to privatise but we don't want the state either,'' Mr. Olivera told The Hindu. "Private enterprises are for rich people and state enterprises are basically private enterprises of a political party. We want an enterprise based on the four pillars of transparency of management, efficiency, participation of people and social justice.''

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