Censat Agua Viva

Summary:
Today thirteen million colombians have thirst; millions of children are affected by the bad quality of the wter they are consuming, if it gets to them; hunderd of thousands have been disconnected from the water services because they do’n have the means to pay the high tarrifs; essential ecosystems that guarantee the natural flow of water are in danger.

Extended content:

We, women and men of all parts of the country, present at the Second National Assembly for Water, inaugurated in Bogotá the 29th of february till the 1st of march 2008, carried by 1.255 social organizations and 236 thousand persons that signed the proposal for constitution reform we have called the Water referendum, call upon the colombian people to join this public movement that seeks to recognize the access to potable water as a fundamental human right, the guarantee of a minimum vital gratis amount for all, the conservation of the environment to ensure abundant and clean water for the generations of today and tomorrow, the respect of cultural and territorial diversity of water and a public and communitarian management of it without profit seeking, reversing current privatizations.      

Today thirteen million colombians have thirst; millions of children are affected by the bad quality of the wter they are consuming, if it gets to them; hunderd of thousands have been disconnected from the water services because they do’n have the means to pay the high tarrifs; essential ecosystems that guarantee the natural flow of water are in danger.

Water, essential for life, is being treathened by public policies that only seek economic gains, natural depredition, privatization of rivers and watersources, impulse war and militarization de large zones of our territory, associated with mining, hydroelectrical, forestal, agrofuel and infrastructural megaprojects, inspired by Free Trade Agreements, the Initiative for Integration of Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA), the current Departamental Water Plans, privatization of aquduct and wastedisposal companies, private concesions for use of natural patrimonium, and the imposition of markets in enviromental services, which seeks not only to privatize water, but also considers it as a commodity, forgetting that it is unequivocal right for human dignity and life. 

Therefore, with profound passion, a vital compromise, joy and determination we call for the support of this referendum in defense of water as a public and common good, and for you to strengthen it with your direct participation, with your vote and with the formation of territorial committees or to join the already existing ones formed by these women and men of all ages, social movements, environment organizations, users of public services, committees for social development and control, their vocals, farming communities, religious congregations, unions, independent workers, communal action boards, defenders of human rights, indigenous people, afro-descendants and other ethnicities.    

We invite you to become guardians of water for present and future generations of colombians, gathering between all the one and a half million signatures needed to call the colombian people to a referendum on this constitutional reform; and for public policy to reclaim transparencia of our natural water, citizens participation and social control in defense of our public partrimonium.

Water is essential to life!

Sign the Water Referendum starting 8 of March!