Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cochabamba Water Forum-Last Day

Apologies for the long delay in posting to my blog due to difficulties finding a computer with internet and some quiet time to write. Much has happened since my last post.

It was on the last day of our water gathering in Cochabamba that the real meaning of "Feria", the "Water Fair," became clear. Indigenous local communities from the south of Cochabamba which helped to lead the water war against Bechtel have been self-organizing to provide water for their neighborhoods. All around a large field next to the labor center, booths had been set up showing the neighborhoods and what they were doing to provide water for their households. The grounds were filled with people and vendors selling food, ices, and drinks. It was truly a celebration of the people´s local control of water. But there is still much to be done to ensure that this water is clean since contamination of the water by industry in this part of Cochabamba is a serious problem. Fair booths included demonstations of water filters. Photos will have to wait until I am back in the U.S. and can upload them to our website.

Also on the last day, we adopted a declaration to bring to the Global People´s Conference on Climate and the Rights of Mother Earth. The statement connects the pollution caused by large scale mining and energy extraction and the environmental destruction by large hydro dams to the disruption of the natural hydrological cycle and the pollution of water. It emphasizes the need to return to the regenerative practices of our ancestors and of indigenous peoples in order to protect our watersheds and prevent the catastophe of climate change. It concludes by calling on all governments attending the summit to withdraw from the World Water Forum which promotes privatization of water and is led by multinational water corporations. Some may remember the documentary, Thirst, which opens with scenes of the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto where demonstators protested the corporate control of water.

While the fair was going on outside, Climate Justice Now activists gathered inside to lay out why climate justice means saying no to carbon trading and carbon offsets. It dawned on me that depending on market solutions to our climate crisis is actually privatizing our air. Even though I have been part of an international network opposing the privatization of water, I never thought privatizing our would be possible.

My day ended with a rush to Tiquipaya, the town next to Cochabamba, where I arrived just in time to regiser for the People´s World Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth and avoid a long line the next morning.

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