Radio Mundo Real

On Wednesday, March 4, the Mexican House of Representatives, through its Drinking Water and Sanitation and Water Resources Commissions passed a General Water Bill proposed by PRI, PAN and PRD parties and considered by social movements and leftist parties as a law that privatizes water.

At the same time, several organizations have been pushing for a Citizen Water Bill. To know more about this initiative and water laws in general in Mexico, our collaborator Monica Montalvo interviewed Elena Burns of the Incalli Ixcahuicopa Sustainability Center of Universdad Autonoma Metropolitana, also member of the “Water for All, Water for Life” organization that has the support of over 450 researchers and civil society organizations from 27 Mexican States.

“When we found out about the Constitutional Reform (of February 8, 2012) that recognized the Human Right to Water and established the need for a new General Water Law, we decided we couldn´t wait, and that we should start developing this law right away”, said Burns.

While politicians were developing their own version of a water bill, the organizations decided to join their efforts “through workshops and working in the communities, and we´ve reached an agreement for a very solid proposal”, she added.

“First of all, we set different goals: Water for ecosystems, Water for everyone, Water for food sovereignty, an end to pollution, an end to the destruction of basins and aquifers and an end to droughts and floods. In order to achieve this, we have designed a decision-making process that focuses on the local level”.