The National Association of Sanitary Services (Andess), warned about the effects to guarantee human consumption that the indication for a Temporary Norm means that would immediately apply the rules of the new authorizations of use for the current water rights, which would put questioning the current agreements with irrigators and other users of the basin, which allow the sanitation companies to complement or supply their water sources to maintain continuity of supply.
“This indication puts at risk one of the principles of the constitutional proposal, which is to guarantee the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. Such an abrupt change, without having the necessary institutions, nor the certainty of the water rights required for the population, could cause problems in the continuity of the service,” said Andess CEO Julio Reyes.
The risk of the initiative —which will be voted on in that Commission between this Thursday the 26th and Saturday the 28th— lies in the fact that today, the sanitation companies have agreements with other users holding water rights to be able to fulfill their mission of supplying people daily. The approval of the transitory norm would affect said agreements and would prevent them in the future, risking the security of the drinking water supply for the population.
“We call on the Convention to take this reality into consideration, and that the transition mechanism that is established cause the least impact for citizens, gradually and orderly adapting the change in the water regime that has been agreed upon in the constitutional proposal, systematically analyzing the diverse effects that this change can cause in different sectors and activities and adequately respecting the rights of the people”, concluded Reyes.
