Within the framework of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the Greenpeace Roots project, together with Modatima Women, belonging to the central community of La Ligua, in the Valparaíso region, (one of the most affected areas of the country in terms of water crisis), Sibelius Academy, Modatima La Ligua, Cecrea and Museo La Ligua, gave life to the Canto del Agua project, of an artistic and musical nature.
“This activity was carried out precisely in one of the areas hardest hit by the lack of water and sought that, through art, the activists and leaders of the different communities could make known the multiple dimensions in which privatization and lack of water is affecting them,” Greenpeace said in a statement.
The activity also seeks to “amplify the voices of those who today call for the de-privatization of water and its recognition as a right for people and the care of nature,” they added from the NGO.
The environmental organization assured that Chile is the country most affected by the water crisis in the entire Western Hemisphere with 76% of its territory affected by lack of water.
“The problem is that the water crisis is more than the absence of rain. It is not about how much it rains, but about how much water we have and that is directly related to how we manage water”, emphasized the Greenpeace coordinator, Stephanie Gonzalez.
“In a context where it will actually rain less, we must distribute water fairly, guaranteeing the human right to water and water for ecosystems. This is the first thing we must understand as a country,” he added.
He also pointed out that “this situation reveals one side of the inequality and lack of protection of water in the country. While more than 80% is used for productive uses, some Chilean citizens do not have the minimum availability of water they need for consumption. and health care. Water belongs to a few, but many lack it.”
New Constitution
Chile is the only country, among 92 nations, whose Constitution explicitly enshrines private ownership of water use rights. That is the main conclusion of the study carried out this year by the Center for Water Law and Management of the Catholic University (UC) -which brings together seven faculties- in which the fundamental charters of countries on three continents were analyzed.
Regarding this scenario, the Greenpeace campaign coordinator explained that “the current legal regime in the country does not protect water as a right, maintaining it as a resource for private use with constitutional protection, further aggravating the situation.”
“Water and desertification is one of the most important and serious problems that Chile is going through, which is why it requires concrete and immediate action. The new Constitution enshrines water as a natural common good that cannot be appropriated and protects the human right to water and the protection of water for ecosystems. It is essential to advance these principles that have been widely supported by the citizenry,” he added.
“We also call on the government to implement measures that guarantee the country’s water security and that put a stop to activities that erode the soil, desertify the territory, making the crisis even worse,” he added.
Threats to communities
Regarding the fire that she suffered just this week, on Monday, June 13, at her home in La Ligua, the defender of water and national spokesperson for Mujeres Modatima, Lorraine DonaireGreenpeace described the fact as “unacceptable”.
“We want to express all our support and solidarity to Lorena and her family. It is unacceptable that environmental activists and leaders today receive threats and intimidation,” they pointed out.
“On this day we call for the protection of environmental defenders, we demand that what happened be investigated as soon as possible and that all measures required by law and international treaties signed by Chile be safeguarded,” they emphasized.
