The Hindu : Karnataka News : Stop treating water as commodity: activists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka

Stop treating water as commodity: activists

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: To debunk the arguments that justify water reforms and the State Government’s attempts to privatise water supply in Bangalore, a book titled “Resisting Reforms” has been brought out.

Authored by Kshithij Urs, who has been involved in the campaign against water privatisation in Karnataka from the beginning, and UK-based activist Richard Whittell, the book critically examines the attempts made to reform the Bangalore’s water supply. The book was released by another activist Claude D’Souza in the city on Wednesday.

The book describes how involving private players was not the best way to ensure an equitable water supply and that treating water as a commodity was a dangerous principle to be adopted to run any water service — be it public or private.

Speaking on his work, Mr. Urs said the book described how the reforms had entered government policy in the State.

“It is unfortunate that the Government is doing all this without consulting citizens. They have recently privatised water supply in Mysore and the citizens got to know about it only after it was done,” he said.

Criticising the Government’s policies, Mr. Urs said the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was being used to institutionalise the privatisation process and ensure corporate control over public services. The book sheds light on how these reforms had been resisted, he said.

“Although the book is about Bangalore, we have touched on the global context of water reforms, especially privatisation. It is about the neutralisation of democracy that these reforms are part of and help to sustain,” he said.

Sunanda Jayaram of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha said if people did not unite themselves and fight against water privatisation immediately, then all citizens including the poorest of the poor would be reduced to consumers. Kotganahalli Ramaiah from Adhima spoke.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka