Red Pepper News

Photos from World Water Forum

A collection of photos from the World Water Forum and protests against it can be found here: http://redpepper.blogs.com/photos/world_water_forum/
(photo credit: Samantha Dietmar)

20,000 march for water without profit

Joe Zacune, 16 March: Today´s demo was the largest ever mass mobilization against the privatization water. Over 20,000 people turned up to protest against the corporate takeover- including indigenous groups, urban social movements, Zapatistas, anarchists, campesinos and other grassroots organizations. The Mexican presence and organisation was amazing. They came in their masses and were dancing, shouting, singing, playing drums for this massive four-hour rally. The World Water Council must be kicking themselves- they made a big mistake when they decided to hold the Forum in Mexico.

Privatisation? What us?

The blue pearl necklace fell out of the corporate press pack like an unwanted christmas cracker toy. It was accompanied by a new-age sounding insert that explained that the necklace "represented the transparency and fragility of water, a crucial resource that needs our constant care."

The media pack was embossed with glossy photos of water works across the world and talked of dignity, tolerance, rights, progress and transparency.

Clearly the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico which has been condemned by activists as a front for promoting worldwide water privatisation is seeking an image change.

So what is the World Water Forum?

Joe Zacune from War on Want has written a good introduction at OpenDemocracy.

Also check out the blogs from WDM activists and US water activists, Food and Water Watch

World Water Forum

Where ever there is a conference to talk about poverty, you can normally find luxury hotels full of delegates. Mexico is no different as the Fourth World Water Forum kicks off today.

The city is full of international delegates from around the world making emotional speeches about the three thousand nine hundred children who will die by the end of today due to unclean drinking water who then head to their hotels to drink imported French mineral water with their sumptuous dinners.

I have come with a delegation from Bolivia, but even though I am surrounded by endless posters and booklets of water droplets, waterfalls, kids playing in rivers, it still at times needs some effort to remember why I am here. The reality of the 200,000 people who live on my doorstep in Bolivia who still don't have drinking water and who have led massive rebellions to end disastrous water privatisation experiments can seem very far away.