World Water Forum 5, 2009 | India Water Portal

27 Mar, 2009 . 27 mins read

Updates from the event

Anjal Prakash from SaciWATERs, Hyderabad report on the theme, 'Knowledge, Education and Capacity Development Strategies'.

Coordinated by UNESCO , IHE with about 24 other institutions around the world, the session focused on the issues related to knowledge management and development. This is with in the context of sharing newly gained knowledge through appropriate systems. In particular, the session addressed the need of strengthening the role of education, knowledge and capacity development in sustainable use and management of water resources. Friday witnessed the deliberations of the main theses in three parts , knowledge management and development, institutional capacity building and empowering organizations and people. In his opening remark, Richard Meganck, head of UNESCO , IHE and Kusum of NetWater & WfWp stressed the need to energized actors outside traditional water sector. They called for bridges divides between theoretical and political boundaries. "The capacity building needs go beyond training to develop talent and it starts where training ends"said Ms Athukurala.

Providing the key note address Lidia Brito of Euado Monalake University, Mozambique called for local action to influence global process. She stressed that the goal of capacity building mean critically analyzing the existing policies and to come out with alternate policies. She stressed that capacity building means providing people with multiple choices. Apart from the other speakers, the session witnessed the dramatic dialogue between three IWRM capacity building networks from three continents, South America (Concentrations), South Asia (Crossing Boundaries) and South and eastern Africa (Water Net). The dialogue showed how mainstream masculine water knowledge alienates people including the concerns of women and marginalized. They called for processes that are inclusive within the present knowledge systems. South to South Networking was seen as an alternative for knowledge sharing that was mediated through interdisciplinary knowledge generation framework. The three sub-sessions called for developing capacities and competencies of stakeholders and finding efficient, sustainable, economically attainable and socially equitable solutions. Dealt in a participatory way where participants engaged in a dialogue with specific groups, the outcome of the sessions borders on responding to the grass root demand and needs of stakeholders, collaboration and exchange of knowledge between scientists and practitioners for having more impact of capacity development in the water sector.

Discussion on Managing and Protecting Water Resources and their Supply Systems to meet Human and Environmental Needs

The discussions during the Forum on this theme debated the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) paradigm in managing and protecting water. The freshwater resources on our planet are limited. We have to therefore try to increase water supply for food, that creates pressures on freshwater resources through contamination and results in diseases. The supply of adequate water is needed and vital for development. However, climate change and global warming will make it harder to supply adequate water for everyone. On the other hand, we have the threat of pollution over existing water resources. Improvements in managing existing water systems and better governance will play a big role in securing water for the future. The Third World Forum discussed good and poor practices about management and cooperation for IWRM, the key actions needed to ensure the future and what was needed to plan at the national, regional and global levels, as well as the changes needed in planning priorities and the legal framework.The preservation of natural ecosystems, land use and planning are integral parts of our development plans. Taking into consideration the priorities of human development is the topic for this theme, that got the largest number of contributions and the most interest, different points of view and discussions. Hosan Ozlu, Turkish Hydraulic Works, said all international partners had helped in developing Theme 3 in various ways. "We are talking about managing and protecting water supply and sources. Human needs have to be balanced with other needs as there are no other planets with available water resources. We need to find a way and I believe there will be a time when humans can manage the hydrological cycle. Human development and water infrastructure are closely related. Water supply, dams and waste water treatment are vital to a country's development and only countries in advanced stages of development can manage their water resources properly." The discussions will help develop management information systems, planning and innovative tools. IWRM is a vital issue but there are only a few success stories from the larger river basins. IWRM should be developed further to achieve more successful results and water resources have to be kept unpolluted and governed and managed better. We need the contribution of all stakeholders and therefore your contributions are valuable, he said. Karen Krchnak, Nature Conservancy, said we need to remember water for the environment is water for development, when we talk about water for growth and development; they were not separate things. This conference was about technical solutions as much as policy solutions. Therefore, people responsible for policy had to speak to each other. In devising policy on water for humans and the environment, we had to consider the impact of the economic crisis that had become severe. We have to take of solutions within the economic crisis as the figure for addressing water issues is estimated at USD 100 billion, that has to be viewed against the money spent on bailing out companies. She said there were four topics to be considered:

1. Basin management and transboundary cooperation

2. Adequate water storage facilities 3. Agricultural needs of water 4. Managing and protecting surface, ground and rainwater 1. Brian Richter of the Nature Conservancy said water brings precipitation to some places and dryness to others. In the basic hydrologic cycle, water is constantly in motion. We are dealing with the motion of water, and managing this is fundamental to human needs and keeping the planet healthy. Humans and animals have learnt to adjust to the seasonal variations in the movement of water as these are critical to their survival. Flood recession agriculture takes advantage of the variations in river systems by taking advantage of the floods and low flows. The conventional wisdom in altering water flows was to leave a leave a little trickle of water in the river but this did not take into account seasonal needs of humans and nature. Now, we have learnt to manipulate water flows for our own purposes and have the ability to completely alter the water flows in rivers. Modifying these rhythms can be at the peril of the plants and animals as well as the 2 billion human beings who have a close relationship with their rivers. When we mess with the natural rhythms of water to bring power, water for agriculture, we have to be careful of the impact on other things such as people, fisheries, and ecology. Areas that retain potential for hydropower development are also rich in biodiversity and support large human populations engaged in traditional occupations. On the other side, we have to consider the imperatives that 1 billion people lack access to drinking water, 9 million die from hunger each year and 2 billion don't have access to power. Our response has been to build new dams for hydropower, dig tubewells, canals or other forms of diversion to manipulate water flows. We have a big decision going forward , there have been tragic consequences of the way we have managed our water resources that have affected between 500-1,000 million people in terms of food security/livelihoods. This does not seem the right way to go forward. We don't need a technological breakthrough as we know how to plan water resources now in a way that does not affect other human beings. We need to be mindful, respectful towards the natural water flows that existed before we intervened. We should not alter them so much that it affects other human beings and ecology, and operate within sustainability boundaries.

2. Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation. Lena Salame, UNESCO, said a strong political will and long term commitment are prerequisites for sustainable river basin management and transboundary management. Many countries have made significant progress on IWRM at the river-lake-aquifer levels. However, this is insufficient to meet the demands of the world and maintaining integrity of river systems should be part of national policy. Water should be managed in river units, groundwater in aquifer units. She said we need quality info on resources that should be used as the objective basis of decision making and coordination of financing. The government and users should both participate in decision making and focus on long-term objectives of basin management. Financial resources and instruments have to be changed to meet the needs of different countries. Alongside, we need to create systems to find complementarity, as well as implement the polluter-pays principle. Riparian states need to ratify available conventions and new ones should be crafted at the basin level. New institutions have to be created to facilitate transboundary issues, and the implementation of international instruments for transboundary agreements to promote cooperation around water resources between river basin organizations

3. Ensuring Adequate Water Resources and Storage Infrastructure to Meet Agricultural, Energy and Urban Needs. Luis Berga, of the International Commission on Large Dams, said more than 30% of population lack basic water-related security , drinking water, food, sanitation. The population will continue to increase, as will urbanization. How can the needs of an additional 3 billion people in the coming decades for food water energy housing be met within the existing resources? The issues considered in these discussions included irrigation infrastructure , 270 m ha, covering 176% of cultivate land producing 40% of food; drinking water infrastructure; wastewater treatment facilities , 50% don't have adequate sanitation and the coverage is especially low in developing nations. Water critical for human health, even though in developing countries the most important use of water is industrial; hydropower infrastructure development is fairly advanced. Hydropower is renewable energy, accounting for 20% of all energy generated currently. Water infrastructure is also needed for flood mitigation and transport. Water infrastructure is linked to a country's socio-economic development. Developed countries have a high stock of infrastructure while developing countries need it as a vital input for development. This must take place in context of improving efficiency of existing systems through IWRM. Development must be sustainable in the fight against poverty. Infrastructure development can have major impact on society and environment. Addressing it will provide intended benefits through IWRM, bringing in environment and cultural aspects. It will help maintain environmental flow regimes within river basins. In conclusion , water for agriculture and energy and urban and rural needs will necessitate new water infrastructure. A more sustainable approach is needed to minimize negative impacts.

4. Preserving Natural Ecosystems: Ecosystems for Water and Life. Summarising the discussions, Mathieu Pinkers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, The Netherlands, said times have changed and action is urgently needed on water for ecosystems for water and life. We have to change our minds and hearts to preserve our natural ecosystems. Since last year, half of the world's population now lives in cities. They use 2% of the earth's surface but contribute 60% to water use, 75% of industrial use of water, and 80% of energy consumption. They are far removed from the ecosystems they are dependent on for water. There is a need for change to ecosystems for water and life. The key actors to shift the paradigm are individuals and local communities. The key action is to focus on a system of knowledge and information to build their capacities to deal with their own environment. To do this we have to recognize natural ecosystems have certain services and these have to become important in our economic and social lives. We have to integrate these with land use planning, water management, NRM planning and management. Capacity building is top priority. We need a paradigm shift in thinking on ecosystems for water, water for people and ecosystems for people. The terrestrial ecosystems fulfill essential functions in the water cycle and provide ecosystem services of great benefit water management. Realization of these benefits requires proactive coordination of land and water management. Sustainable use of ecosystem services may represent a cost-effective strategy with multiple benefits for land water and climate compared with investments in structural measure, cost effectiveness is achieved in particular when several sector recognize the benefit so that the investment can be shared, payment for ecosystem services can be rationalized. Spreading the wealth water for socio economic development and poverty reduction needs healthy rivers and requires action to encourage application of environmental flows in development, including employing multidisciplinary teams. We need to act locally and think globally. The main messages here are that the security of our business depends on maintaining natural river systems that provide water resources and other benefits. Many communities depend on this system for survival. There is an urgent need to work together on land, coastal and water management issues for sustainable development and sharing knowledge will help make better decisions.

5. Managing and Protecting Surface, Groundwater and Rainwater. Ahmet Sergin, International Association of Hydrogeologists, said groundwater management needed specific strategies and support for sustainable management. Hydrogeological systems have many unknown parameters. Surface water structures are under the control of the government while groundwater projects are owned by individual farmers and therefore it is hard to control consumption and pollution. GW management needs strong laws and institutions and therefore need special attention. All water is part of the hydrological system and should be considered together. Non-renewable groundwater is not part of the cycle but should be considered part of IWRM. There are human and environmental aspects and three factors , behaviour of system, growth and constraints , should be considered while developing plans. Collaboration between decision makers and policy makers, special attention to cultural issues on farm water management and rainwater harvesting should be included in institutional and legal aspects in IWRM. Stakeholder participation is critical for better groundwater management and they should be involved in projects from planning stage. Rainwater harvesting has three characteristics , it is decentralized, harvested through local action and is available for use at source. Managing and protecting groundwater is essential for sustaining life. But plans have many parts , laws, institutional framework, financial resources, etc. It's essential to explain IWRM to decision makers. A bridge between decision makers and technical people is needed for effective IWRM.

A seven-day focus on the world's water crunch wound up Sunday with a pledge by more than 100 countries to strive for clean water and sanitation for billions in need and fight drought and flood. But some countries criticised the cornerstone outcome of the fifth World Water Forum as flawed while activists dismissed the event itself as a "trade show." The declaration, coinciding with World Water Day, was issued at the end of a three-day ministerial meeting, climaxing the biggest-ever conference on the planet's freshwater crisis. "The world is facing rapid and unprecedented global changes, including population growth, migration, urbanisation, climate change, desertification, drought, degradation and land use, economic and diet changes," the statement said. It set out a roster of non-binding recommendations, including greater cooperation to ease disputes over water, measures to address floods and water scarcity, better management of resources and curbing pollution of rivers, lakes and aquifers. Some countries tried to beef up the statement so that it recognised access to safe drinking water and sanitation as "a basic human right," rather than a "basic human need," which was the final text. They were blocked by Brazil, Egypt and the United States, delegates said. Around 20 dissenting countries signed on to a separate statement to spell out their position after the conference's close. A Venezuelan delegate said they included Bangladesh, South Africa and Spain.

The textual difference, which has political and legal ramifications, is being debated under the UN Convention on Human Rights. Numerous countries, led by Latin America, have already enshrined access to water as a right in their constitution. The World Water Forum is held every three years, and has gained in importance as a meeting place for debating the globe's amplifying problems of freshwater. At least 25,000 policymakers, water specialists and grassroots workers took part in this year's event, a record attendance. Campaigners representing the rural poor, the environment and organised labour on Saturday attacked the Forum as a vehicle for water privatisation and called it for to be placed under the UN flag. "We demand that the allocation of water be decided in an open, transparent and democratic forum rather than in a trade show for the world's large corporations," said Maude Barlow, senior advisor to the president of the UN General Assembly. The Forum is staged by the World Water Council, a French-based organisation whose funding comes in large part from the water industry. Providing access to drinking water and sewerage, conserving resources and building reservoirs and dikes to cope with water stress and water excess would cost rich countries alone around 200 billion dollars per year, according to estimates. "Mobilising the resources... is likely to be one of the greatest challenges we face," said US delegate Alonzo Fulgham. The ministers said they would "promote effective use of financial resources from all sources" but did not state a preference for whether water should be in public or private hands. This is a thorny issue, because campaign groups say utilities that are in private hands ramp up tariffs, hitting the poor especially. However, the ministers said they "acknowledge" that the costs of recovering water investment had to be "fair, equitable and sustainable." Around 880 million people do not have access to decent sources of drinking water, while 2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a report on Tuesday. By 2030, the number of people living under severe water stress is expected to rise to 3.9 billion, a tally that does not include the impacts of global warming, according to the OECD. The world's current population of more than 6.5 billion is growing at the rate of 80 million a year. By 2050, there is expected to be nine billion people. Feeding them -- and growing crops for biofuels -- will spur even greater demands from agriculture, which already takes up 70 percent of available freshwater.

The following post from the World Social Forum 2009 presents an alternate view on the just concluded World Water Forum at Istanbul.

Istanbul, March 19, 2009 After Mexico City 2006, which was an important milestone of the continuous work of the global movement for water justice, we have now gathered in Istanbul to mobilize against the 5th World Water Forum. We are here to delegitimize this false, corporate driven World Water Forum and to give voice to the positive agenda of the global water justice movements! Given that we are in Turkey, we cannot ignore that this country provides a powerful example of the devastating impacts of destructive water management policies. The Turkish government has pushed for the privatization of both water services, watersheds and has plans to dam every river in the country. Four specific cases of destructive and risky dams in Turkey, include the Ilisu, Yusufeli, Munzur and Yortanli dams. For ten years, affected people have intensively opposed these projects, in particular, the Ilisu dam which is part of a larger irrigation and energy production project known as the South East Anatolia Projects, or GAP. The Ilisu dam , one of the most criticized dam projects worldwide , is particularly compex and troubling because of its implications on international policy in the Middle East. The dam is situated in the Kurdish-settled region where there are ongoing human rights violations related to the unsolved Kurdish question. The Turkish government is using GAP to negatively impact the livelihood of the Kurdish people and to suppress their cultural and political rights.We, as a movement, are here to offer solutions to the water crisis, and to demand that the UN General Assembly organize the next global forum on water. The participation of important United Nations officials and representatives in our meeting is evidence that something has changed. There is a tangible and symbolic shift of legitimacy: from the official Forum organized by private interests and by the World Water Council to the Peoples Water Forum, organized by global civil society including, farmers, indigenous peoples, activists, social movements, trade unions, non-governmental organizations and networks that struggle throughout the world in the defense of water and territory and for the commons. We call on the United Nations and its member states to accept its obligation, as the legitimate global convener of multilateral forums, and to formally commit to hosting a forum on water that is linked to state obligations and is accountable to the global community. We call upon all organizations and governments at this 5th World Water Forum, to commit to making it the last corporate-controlled water forum. The world needs the launch of a legitimate, accountable, transparent, democratic forum on water emerging from within the UN processes supported by its member states. Confirming once again the illegitimacy of the World Water Forum, we denounce the Ministerial Statement because it does not recognize water as a universal human right nor exclude it from global trade agreements. In addition the draft resolution ignores the failure of privatization to guarantee the access to water for all, and does not take into account those positive recommendations proposed by the insufficient European Parliamentary Resolution. Finally, the statement promotes the use of water to produce energy from hydroelectric dams and the increased production of fuel from crops, both of which lead to further inequity and injustice. We reaffirm and strengthen all the principles and commitments expressed in the 2006 Mexico City declaration: we uphold water as the basic element of all life on the planet, as a fundamental and inalienable human right; we insist that solidarity between present and future generations should be guaranteed; we reject all forms of privatization and declare that the management and control of water must be public, social, cooperative, participatory, equitable, and not for profit; we call for the democratic and sustainable management of ecosystems and to preserve the integrity of the water cycle through the protection and proper management of watersheds and environment. We oppose the dominant economic and financial model that prescribes the privatization, commercialization and corporatization of public water and sanitation services. We will counter this type of destructive and non-participatory public sector reform, having seen the outcomes for poor people as a result of rigid cost-recovery practices and the use of pre-paid meters. Since 2006, in Mexico, the global water justice movement has continued to challenge corporate control of water for profit. Some of our achievements include: reclaiming public utilities that had been privatized; fostering and implementing public , public partnerships; forcing the bottled water industry into a loss of revenue; and coming together in collective simultaneous activities during Blue October and the Global Action Week. We celebrate our achievements highlighted by the recognition of the human right to water in several constitutions and laws. At the same time we need to address the economic and ecological crises. We will not pay for your crisis! We will not rescue this flawed and unsustainable model, which has transformed: unaccountable private spending into enormous public debt, which has transformed water and the commons into merchandise, which has transformed the whole of Nature into a preserve of raw materials and into an open-air dump. The basic interdependence between water and climate change is recognized by the scientific community and is underlined also by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Therefore, we must not accept responses to climate chaos in the energy sector that follow the same logic that caused the crisis in the first place. This is a logic that jeopardizes the quantity and quality of water and of life that is based on dams, nuclear power plants, and agro-fuel plantations. In December 2009, we will bring our concerns and proposals to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Further, the dominant model of intensive industrial agriculture, contaminates and destroys water resources, impoverishes agricultural soils, and devastates food sovereignty. This has enormous impact on lives and public health. From the fruitful experience of the Belem World Social Forum, we are committed to strengthening the strategic alliance between water movements and those for land, food and climate. We also commit to continue building networks and new social alliances, and to involve both local authorities and Parliamentarians who are determined to defend water as a common good and to reaffirm the right to fresh water for all human beings and nature. We are also encouraging all public water utilities to get together, establishing national associations and regional networks. We celebrate our achievements and we look forward for our continued collaboration across countries and continents! Access the article online here:Peoples Water Forum Declaration, Istanbul, Turkey

Call to include Right to Water in ministerial statement

Activists and water practitioners made a strong call to include the Right to Water (RTW) in the Istanbul ministerial declaration. Speaking at a press conference, the Senior Advisor on Water Issues by the President of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Maude Barlow, said, "We are running out of fresh water owing to climate change. Our lifestyles are destroying water resources and causing more conflicts."

Â The two groups in Istanbul, the World Water Forum (WWF) and the Alternative Water Forum (AWF), represent two different schools of thought. Ms. Barlow said WWF treated water as a commodity, favouring corporate control and pricing of water. On the other hand, AWF treated water as a global managed commons that could not be denied to anybody on the basis of their inability to pay.

Â She said the United Nations was considering a covenant on RTW that would help people take up water a human right with the own governments. Water should be available for human needs, ecosystem health and food production in that order, and this could be incorporated into the legal reforms under the RTW. "The global water crisis has made it necessary to develop new instruments to manage water as soon as possible."

Â In 2008, companies sold more than 200 billion litres of packaged water, she said. These were sold in plastic bottles which were not recycled.

Â Uruguay and other Latin American governments are attempting to bring RTW back onto the WWF's agenda, said the Director, Water and Sanitation, Uruguay, Jose Luis Genta. He was hopeful WWF would arrive at a consensus on the right to water.

Â The state should finance water utilities to provide water to all and we must question the kind of development policies being followed, Oscar Oliviera from Cochabamba, Bolivia, who spearheaded the agitation against privatization of the water supply system in that city. There is a need for social control of water instead of control by the government or private companies.

Â Rajendra Singh, President of Tarun Bharat Sangh, India, said, "When communities realize their ownership of natural resources, especially water, no government or company can take it away from them."Citing the example of the Arvari river in Alwar, Rajasthan, he said people living there realized the only way to improve their quality of life was to enhance the water available.

Â They did this through community-driven watershed management and in the process, revived a system of seven rivers; these were dead rivers a few years ago and now have become perennial. When the government wanted to allot fishing rights to private contractors in the villagers' reservoirs, the people resisted and formed a parliament to take up larger issues.

Â This demonstrates the power of community involvement in making the right to water a reality. The people of the watershed have decided the water in the region is their's by right and will not let any 'outside' agency deprive them of this right, Mr. Singh said.

Â Water service delivery: Can PUPs make the govt efficient?

Â The public sector can deliver water efficiently in India, but needs to work more closely with communities to achieve this, said the Secretary, Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, Shantha Sheela Nair.

Â Speaking at a session on Implementing the Right to Water: Democratisation and PUPs, she said water delivery in India in villages was the responsibility of Panchayati Raj Institutions under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. The government had been requesting a transfer of assets created for water supply to the village panchayats, but the latter has been reluctant to take them over.

Â "This is because these assets were created solely from the engineering point of view and are usually too expensive for communities to afford,"Ms. Nair said. Therefore, before implementing any PUP project, capacity building is very important. This was best done through inter-personal communication and demonstrations. This bridging the divide was key to capacity building as a prerequisite for successful PUPs.

Â As much as 90% of the water supplied in the world is through public sector utilities, said V Suresh, Centre of Law, Policy and Human Rights Studies. For better service delivery, a change of governance was needed, not financial mechanisms.

Â He said PUPs were a new idea that envisioned an egalitarian partnership on issues of common concerns; redefined relationships of knowledge expertise and sharing on a non-profit basis and; reshaped the public sector to become more inclusive and transparent. There were three pillars of PUPs , institutional cooperation, participation between public sector and citizens and partnerships between individuals and groups.

Â The Government of India had cleared a proposal to set up water operator's platforms across India following the PUP model on 24 February, 2009. Mr. Suresh said he was hopeful of replicating the model in other south Asian countries soon.

UNESCO's third World Water Development Report launched

Istanbul, 18 March, 2009: The Director-General of UNESCO, KoÑ—chiro Matsuura, launched the Third World Water Development Report (WWDR-3), outlining actions to address future water challenges. Speaking at the launch, he highlighted the Report's key messages, including the need to involve water specialists in decision making; the significant impact that decisions to address climate change in the energy sector have for water use; the importance of monitoring and assessment for sound water management; and the need to strengthen capacity in developing countries.

Ali BackoÄŸlu, Deputy Governor of Istanbul, encouraged enhancing collaboration among countries, sectors and stakeholders. Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, said the Report will help policy makers to apply the most advanced approaches and technologies to water management.

Alexander MÃ¼ller, FAO, Hasan Zuhuri Sarikaya, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Turkey, and Pasquale Steduto, UN-Water Chair / FAO, welcomed the launch of the report as a useful tool for the sustainable management of water resources. AndrÃ¡s SzÃ¶llÃ¶zi-Nagy, UNESCO, emphasized that external factors impact water resources and that increased water storage capacity is essential for responding to climate change.

Olcay Ãœnver, World Water Assessment Programme, and William Cosgrove, WWDR-3, underscored the Report's paradigm shift from a water-specific focus to one that addresses the external drivers of water resource use, and the Report's linkages between water use and broader development objectives.

Kenneth Konga, Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Zambia, presented the Zambian case study from WWDR-3. Narcio-Rodrigues da Silveira, Vice President, Brazil, proposed the immediate constitution of a "World Water Parliament."

Yong-Joo Cho, Korea Institute of Construction Technology, outlined Korea's water management efforts in the context of climate change. Giorgio Sfara, Development Cooperation, Italy, highlighted the G8 Evian Plan and its enhanced implementation strategy in partnership with African countries.

Resource Team,

Water Community

From Himanshu Thakkar at SANDRP , www.sandrp.in

March 18, 2009

Press Statement: Indian Organisations Condemn Arrests at World Water Forum

We, the representatives of people's movements, civil society organizations and concerned individuals from India, condemn the arrest, deportation and repression of protestors at the World Water Forum (WWF), in progress at Istanbul, Turkey on March 16.

Outside the conference center just before the inaugural function of the World Water Forum riot police used water cannons and tear gas against 150 peaceful protestors who shouted "water for life, not for profit" in opposition to the WWF's agenda of water privatization and river destruction. Seventeen protestors were arrested.

As the opening ceremony of the WWF began, International Rivers' South Asia Director Ann-Kathrin Schneider and Climate Campaigner Payal Parekh unfurled a banner reading "No Risky Dams" in protest at the World Water Forum's promotion of destructive dams. They were arrested and are in jail since then.

The World Water Forum takes place every three years. It is organized by the World Water Council, a private organization whose most influential members are private water companies and some of the world's biggest dam construction companies, funders and government agencies.Â

We condemn the undemocratic nature of the World Water Forum and urge the World Water Council to respect and support the rights of all people to speak freely and protest peacefully.

The water and energy policies promoted by the WWF around the globe destroy communities and the environment. The past experience of mega dams in India and elsewhere points towards that. We call on the participants of the World Water Forum to embrace democratic, smarter and cleaner solutions and recognise Right to Water as a fundamental right and not to advance the agenda of privatization and commercialisation, with huge social and environmental costs. The World Water Forum should not be organised by the World Water Council, but by United Nations.

Signed by:

Amit Bhaduri, Professor Emeritus, JNU, New Delhi

Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Madhya Pradesh

Himanshu Thakkar, SANDRP, New Delhi

Shripad Dharamadhikari, MANTHAN, Madhya Pradesh

Madhuresh Kumar, CACIM, New Delhi

Anil Varghese, Â New Delhi

Nimmi, Greenpeace, Bangalore

Satabdi Das, Association for India's Development, Bangalore Chapter

Pritpal Randhawa, Insitiute of Development Studies, University of Sussex , United Kingdom

Souparna Lahiri, NFFPFW, India

Anthony Tago, Arunachal Citizens Rights, India

Tone Mickrow, All Idu Mishmi Students Union, India

Testen Lepcha, Affected Citizens of Teesta, Sikkim

Ankur 'Toby' Ganguly, Greenpeace, India

Ashish Fernandes, Greenpeace, India

Leo Saldanah, Environment Support Group, India

Bhargavi S Rao, Environment Support Group, India

Mallesh KR, Environment Support Group, India

Joe Athialy, Delhi Solidarity Group, New Delhi

Seejal Dand, ANANDI, Ahmedabad

Neeta Hardikar, ANANDI, Dahod

Hiren Gandhi, DARSHAN, Ahmedabad

Darshan, INSAF, Ahmedabad

Saroop Dhruv, DARSHAN, Ahmedabad

Vimal Bhai, Matu Jan Sangathan, New Delhi

Ghanshyam Shah, Â Ahmedabad

Mukta Srivastava, NAPM, Mumbai

Simpreet Singh, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai

Rajendera Ravi, IDS, New Delhi

Bhupendera Singh Rawat, Jan Sangharsh Vahini, New Delhi

Ashok Chaudhari, NFFPFW, Saharanpur

Roma, Â Uttar Pradesh

Munnilal, NFFPFW, Dehradun

Harekrishna Debnath, National Fishworker's Forum, Kolkata

Puneet Minj, JMACC, Ranchi

Prem Piram, JAGAR UTTRAKHAND, Uttrakhand

Manju Gardia, Programme for Social Action, Raipur

Mamta Kujur, Adivasi Mahila Mahasabha, Chattisgarh

Tapan Kumar Padhi, National Institute for Development, Bhubneshwar, Orissa

Darshini Mahadevia, Â India

Jai Sen, CACIM, New Delhi

Maju Varghese, Shehr Vikas Manch, Mumbai

K.T. Suresh, YUVA, Mumbai

TSS Mani, PUCL, Tamil Nadu

Aryakrishnan, Bookport, Ernakulam, Kerala

Amarjeet Kaur, AITUC, New Delhi

Rakesh Sharma, Filmmaker,Â

Dunnu Roy, Hazards Centre, New Delhi

Dr. David. L. Gosling, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Shalini Sharma, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, New Delhi

Shaktiman Ghosh, National Hawkers Federation, Kolkata

Sudipto Moitra, Hawkers Sangram Committee, Kolkata

Sanjoy Ganguly, Jana Sanskrit Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed, Kolkata

Dr. Virendra Vidhrohi, Matsya Mewat shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, Alwar, Rajasthan

Noor Mohammad, Matsya Mewat shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, Alwar, Rajasthan

Bhoga Nanjuda, CIEDS Collective & Karnataka Social Forum, Karnataka

Prasad Chacko, Initiative on Human Rights and Policy Analysis, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Naveen Chander, Progressive Students Union, New Delhi

Kalpana Mehta, Saheli Womens Resource Centre, New Delhi

Maitree Das Gupta, Greenpeace, Bangalore

Subhash Gatade, New Social Initiative, New Delhi

Jaya Mehta, Sandarbha Kendra, Indore

Vineet Tiwari, Progressive Writer's Association, Indore

Gautam Navlakha, People's Union for Democratic Rights, New Delhi

Shivani Chaudhary, Housing and Land Rights Network, New Delhi

Bipin Kumar, The Other Media, New Delhi

Benny Kuruvilla, Focus on Global South, New Delhi

Vasundhara Jairath, Inter Cultural Resources, New Delhi

Rohit Prajapati, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat

Trupti Shah, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat

Jose MJ, INSAF, Kerala Unit, Kerala

Ram Puniani, Ekta , Mumbai

Mangai, Â Chennai

Utkarsh Sinha, Centre For studies of contemporary studies and research, Lucknow

Kriti Team, Â New Delhi

Selva Ganpathy, Indian Institute of Delhi, New Delhi

Molana Hanif, Matsya Mewat shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, Alwar, Rajasthan

Arun Raj, Association for India's Development, New Delhi

Darshan Mehra, Association for India's Development, New Delhi

Meena Menon, Focus on Global South, Mumbai

Datta Ishwalker, Girni Kamgar Sangatha, Mumbai

Jatin Desai, Peace Mumbai , Mumbai

Shakeel Ahmed, Nirbhaya Bano Andolan, Mumbai

Neetu Routela, Â New Delhi

Vijayan MJ, Delhi Forum, New Delhi

Jibin Robin, Delhi Solidarity Group, New Delhi

Satinath Sarangi, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Nityanand Jayaraman, Vettiver Collective, Chennai

Sandeep Ekka, Delhi Solidarity Group, New Delhi

Sanat Acharya, Freedom Forum, Kathmandu, Nepal

Himanshu Upadhyay, Researcher, New Delhi

Munshi Khan, Matsya Mewat shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, Alwar, Rajasthan

Gabriela Dietrich, Pennurumai Iyyakum, Tamil Nadu

Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha, Kerala

Bargi Dam Visthapit Samiti, Madhya Pradesh

SEWA, Kerala

Sarsathali Project Affected People's Association, SPAPA, West Bengal

Janak, Â Mumbai Pani, Mumbai

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