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NEWS: Right to water bill moves forward in El Salvador

Ana Ella Gómez

Ana Ella Gómez

In late-October 2011, the Inter Press Service reported, “A bill (named the General Water Law) before Congress stipulates, among other things, that access to water is a human right, and that all persons without distinction are entitled to have access to it in sufficient quantities. …(It was) drafted by a platform of about 100 social, religious and academic organisations (belonging to the umbrella group Water Forum)…” It had been stalled in parliament for the past five to ten years.

On April 20, Prensa Latina reported (in Spanish), “The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved reform that establishes the state’s responsibility to ensure the right to water. Congresswoman Lourdes Palacios, of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), told Prensa Latina that this guarantee has been an aspiration of social movements and environmentalists in the country. …The amendments to the constitution (include), ‘Water is an essential resource for life, therefore it is the duty of the State to harness and preserve water resources and allowing them access to the inhabitants.'”

And today, water activist Ana Ella Gómez writes, “After years of waiting, on April 19 the deputies of the Congress of El Salvador approved the constitutional reform that recognizes the human right to water proposal that was submitted by more than 100 social organizations and more than 90,000 signatures of citizens. Although this is only a step forward towards the recognition of water as a human right, it is an important step that allows us to move forward. The reform requires the ratification of the new legislature, which begins its work on May 1.”

The right to water law could further protect El Salvador from the destruction associated with major mining projects. In 2007, the Ministry of Environment in El Salvador denied Vancouver-based mining company Pacific Rim the permits needed for their El Dorado gold and silver mine. In retaliation, the company (through its US-based subsidiary) launched a $77 million US-Central America Free Trade Agreement challenge in 2008. How does this relate to water? In mid-September 2011, IPS reported, “Peasant farmers from the northern Salvadoran province of Cabañas fear that mining operations (by Pacific Rim) planned for the region will consume 30,000 litres of water a day, drawn from the same sources that currently provide local residents with water only once a week. Environmentalists and experts have also warned that if the operations begin…the cyanide that would be used by Pacific Rim to extract gold and silver could contaminate the area’s groundwater and soil.”

An earlier campaign blog on the right to water law in El Salvador can be read at http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11528.