The heavy price of Santiago's privatised water
The heavy price of Santiago's privatised water
With water availability to Chiles capital predicted to fall 40% by 2017, legislators are being called on to prioritise human and ecological needs over profit
Daniel Gallagher
PhD student, department of urban studies and planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thursday 15 September 2016 01.41 EDT
When it comes to water, Chile is failing its citizens. In Santiago, the nations capital, millions of people are regularly left without running water for days at a time and experts are warning of water scarcity to come across the country as temperatures rise and glaciers retreat.
What we need is a transformation away from the private model of water ownership and to recognise water as a human right, says Francisca Fernández, spokeswoman for the Movimiento por la Recuperación del Agua y la Vida which campaigns for public ownership of water. The organisation emerged four years ago at a time of mounting climatic stress in Santiago.
A recent protest saw at least 2,000 people take to the capitals streets to demand the repeal of laws that privatised Chiles water supply. At the heart of the protest and others like it in recent years lies frustration that the privatisation of water has kept prices unnecessarily high, delivered poor service and done little to address concerns over insufficient supply in the future.
. . .
The process of water privatisation in Chile which began in 1981 under General Pinochet established a model for water management that strengthened private water rights, adopted a market-based allocation system and reduced state oversight. That model became emblematic of neoliberal reforms heavily promoted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/15/chile-santiago-water-supply-drought-climate-change-privatisation-neoliberalism-human-right
Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Judi Lynn
(160,450 posts)People Are Sharing This Photo Of A Young Woman Standing Up To Police
The unidentified girl was taking part in a march in Chiles capital to remember the countrys disappeared.
posted on Sept. 13, 2016, at 8:31 a.m.
This photo of a young woman staring at a riot policeman was taken on Sunday during protests to mark the anniversary of Chiles 1973 military coup.
Thousands of people marched through Chiles capital, Santiago. The protests marked 43 years since President Salvador Allende was overthrown, killed, and replaced with a military government led by Augusto Pinochet.
. . .
The photo was taken outside the General Cemetery of Recoleta, where relatives of those who went missing under Pinochets rule had gathered.
More:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/krishrach/this-photo-captures-the-moment-a-young-protestor-stood-up-to?utm_term=.udqLZ1E6m#.jb6qwB36v
kristopher
(29,798 posts)Thank you for posting it.