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WHO OWNS THE RAIN?

Water Privatization in Sri Lanka

The dictionary describes water as colourless, tasteless and odourless - its most important property being its ability to dissolve other substances. We in South Africa do not see water that way. For us water is a basic human right, water is the origin of all things - the giver of life.
Poet Mazisi Kunene in "Water Is Born All Peoples of the Earth".

Water is a valuable resource, vital to human life. Water is owned by the commons. South African water policy states that "There shall be no ownership of water but only a right (for environmental and basic human needs) or an authorization for its use. … Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water." Today however, in many countries, including Sri Lanka, access to clean water has become very scarce due to human attempts to control and manage this natural resource.

Water Changing Hands
The Sri Lankan government's proposed National Water Resources Policy states that "all surface and ground water are owned by the state and managed by the government in partnership with water users on behalf of all Sri Lankans." This policy is the result of ongoing natural resource privatization as promoted by transnational corporations and international financial institutions.

If water becomes government property, will we have the right to use it? Can the government own the water under the soil of our land? What about the air we breathe, and who owns the rain?

Today in Sri Lanka, more and more water is being taken out of the hands of small communities, siphoned off for bigger causes, and later reallocated at higher prices. The human and environmental consequences of such short-sighted management cannot be underestimated. In a region of growing demands on a limited resource, the increasing scarcity of water could result in devastating conflicts and catastrophes.

Corporate Whirlpool
Rice is the staple food of our society, and access to water is essential for its cultivation. National policy makers and international financial institutions including the World Bank, the IMF and Asian Development Bank argue that rice paddy farmers waste water and thus must be forced to pay for it.

If we measure the amount of water taken up by plants against that which drains away and evaporates, we get an average efficiency level of about 30 percent. But is the other 70 percent really lost? Large amounts of it flow back into the system and are used again downstream. The issue, then, is whether our irrigation systems are still efficient enough to reuse the water.

Centuries ago, King Parakramabahu (1164-1197) constructed a system that recycled water so that every drop was used for agriculture. In those days, we also had rice varieties that did not need such huge amounts of water. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) destroyed these varieties during the Green Revolution, and it now wants to discourage people from engaging in paddy cultivation.
Although the Minister of Irrigation denies that the proposed Water Resources Policy involves the imposition of a water pricing mechanism, a careful reading of the proposed law shows otherwise. It is clear that the proposed policy will protect the rights of large companies with water entitlements. Small users will be charged higher prices for water, electricity and other resources that use water.

Thousands of Bolivians took to the streets in protest of water privatization in April 2000. British investors, including the Bechtel corporation that catalyzed the problems in Bolivia, were recently in Sri Lanka on a "water mission" to explore the scope for developing joint ventures with Sri Lankan companies.

Right to Water, Right to Rice!
All water in the water cycle, whether on land, underground or in surface channels; whether falling on, flowing through or infiltrating such systems, should be treated as part of the commons. The water required to meet basic human needs and to maintain environmental sustainability must be guaranteed as a right. The national government should act as the custodian of the nation's water resources, and its powers in this regard should be exercised as a public trust.

Hemantha Withanage, FoE Sri Lanka