CHILE: Water a Matter of National Security

[Derechos]

CHILE: Water a Matter of National Security


By Tierramerica, Daniela Estrada* -

The paragraph that will be added to Article 19 of Chile's Constitution, if Parliament approves the bill sent by President Michelle Bachelet on Jan. 7, states that water is a national good for public use, regardless of the state where it is located or the course it follows, including glaciers. The bill 'opens a first step for resolving the crisis of access, contamination, concentration and overexploitation of water in Chile, and the degradation of watersheds,' declared a group of environmental organisations and workers from private sanitation companies.

The initiative made it over the first hurdle Jan. 13 when it was approved by the Chamber of Deputies agricultural committee.

The legal text recognises that freshwater, which is lacking in the Chilean north and abundant in the south, has become a 'scarce good' and that its availability is 'a matter of national security,' much more than fossil fuels, which can be imported from other countries.

Around the globe, this vital resource is threatened by the effects of climate change, which is causing glaciers to melt as well as more intense droughts.

Chile is a world leader when it comes to freshwater reserves in the form of glaciers. According to the latest inventory by the government's water agency, there are more than 3,500 glaciers, covering some 20,000 square kilometres.

According to the text, the constitutional reform aims to provide the authorities with the necessary tools so that, 'in case it becomes indispensible,' they can limit or restrict the exercise of private rights over water and reserve surface or underground waters to ensure availability, primarily for human consumption.

As such, Chile is following the path of Ecuador and Uruguay, which constitutionally defined water as a public good in 2008 and 2004, respectively.

However, several business associations, like the National Society of Agriculture (SNA) and the Mining Council, immediately expressed concerns about the bill.

http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/140457231.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Must Divest From Privatized Water in Chile, Says Council of Canadians

January 28, 2010
12:15 PM

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Must Divest From Privatized Water in Chile, Says Council of Canadians

OTTAWA - January 28 - The Council of Canadians is calling on the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to divest from private water services in Chile.

"As Ontario teachers know, there is growing concern about the privatization of water services around the world as large, for-profit utilities move in to take over the delivery of water and wastewater services from the public sector," says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a proud Fellow of the Ontario Teachers' Federation.

Private water services around the world have led to worker lay-offs, rate hikes, reduced environmental controls and cut-offs to the poor.

The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, jointly run by the provincial government and the Ontario Teachers' Federation, is a now major investor in the highly controversial private water systems in Chile.

Barlow argues that this investment undermines efforts by a broad coalition of social justice and environmental groups who are behind the recent introduction of a constitutional amendment that would declare water a public trust and a common resource, a very significant development toward taking back public control of its water services and resources. The amendment was introduced by the previous Chilean government and groups will continue with their efforts to ensure that the current government follows through.

~snip~
The Council of Canadians is calling on the OTPP to begin a process to sell its shares in stages in these companies to the Chilean government and return to the state and its people their water rights.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/01/28-7

[rabs]

2. The Privatization of the Sea

Judi, this has gotten little publicity in the English-language media but there is another water controversy that has been brewing for the past three years (during the Bachelet term). It is the privization of chunks of the Pacific off Chile's southern coast for salmon breeding and cultivation.

Salmon exports account for $2.5 billion yearly so the industry has been a pillar of the "Chilean Miracle" in recent years.

There is a international company from Norway, Marine Harvest, which controls 20 percent of Chile's salmon breeding and exports. Marine Harvest is the largest cultivator of salmon in the world. A scandal erupted couple of years ago because of a salmon-caused virus that spreading up and down the coast killing other sea life.

Below link with lengthy article of the controversy. Some key grafs:

The Fisheries Act seeks to reboost the salmon industry through the transfer of perpetual rights on maritime territory to businesses.17 According to the Economics minister, Hugo Lavados, the law permits businesses the right to "use and take advantage" of matritime and coastal territories, so that it can be appropriated as mortgage assets, a crucial key for banks to issue loans and refinance debts. Juan Carlos Cárdenas argues that articles 81 and 81a permit "salmon producer debtors to mortgage national assets, such as agricultural concessions with bank creditors."

The presidential candidate for the December election, Senator Marco Enríquez-Ominami, along with other law makers, argued that the law "privatizes the sea by giving the salmon producers aquaculture concessions that are forever binding and mortgagable," which he considers "unconsititutional."18 Environmentalists, who did not expect any major opposition to this law, were thrilled when the Senator added 160 ammendments to the Fishery Act. "What the Senator has done is an important step against the unconstitutional act of impunity and attempted robbery of our national assets," said Cárdenas.

Meanwhile, there are those who are profitting from this salmon crisis. Marine Harvest announced that despite its losses in Chile, it is preparing to acquire Chilean salmon producers as part of the restructuring process in the industry, as each crisis opens an "opportunity" (acquisitions, sales, mergers), acknowledged Jorgen Andersen, the president of finance in the company.19

http://americas.irc-online.org/am/6377

Do not be surprised if Pinera pushes projects such as this. He already has said that he would like to see national CODELCO giant be traded (up to 20 percent)on the Chilean stock market, i.e. partly privatize the copper industry that drives the Chilean economy.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Such bad news, really rotten. Never have heard, of course.

It seems so hard to believe a country which has been saddled with Pinochet's atrocities would be honor bound NEVER to go in that direction again.

Even Pinochet didn't dare to privatize the copper industry.

Shocking.

I've heard there has always been a fascist presence in South America, from even before the Second World War, and this community was more than happy to absorb the Nazi killers on the run in the ratline after the war. They apparently still maintain enough political power to keep the disease going.

Appreciate hearing this news now. It prepares us for very strange changes after Pinero is inaugurated. The next term can't pass nearly fast enough.

[amyrose2712]

4. ...