JOHANNESBURG--Mahatma
Gandhi once said: "The World has enough
for eeryman's need but not for one man's
greed." What's happening in Johannesburg
is messy and ugly. How many more Seminars
will it take to bring commonsense and
wisdom on the negotiating table and the
voices of
the people will finally be heard? Respectable,
knowledgeable and presumably intelligent
people are playing for high stakes and
of course the billion people who have
no access
to drinking water are not in the focus
of any discussion. These people represent
a
deadly combination that is emerging in
the Summit--a combination of big business
lobbying
for more water for industry and agriculture
with the World bank and other international
organizations providing the much needed
support twisting the arms of NGOs to
fall in line...or
else.
There
are in the process of setting ridiculous targets. In
2015 no one is going to be around to take them to task.
These are just games being played to make the Summit
look good. It happened in previous Summits. It's happening
like a bad record stuck in the groove with this one.
This search for a "consensus" is absurd because
everyone compromises and everyone loses in the end--the
rural and urban poor being the first to suffer.
While solutions are staring at them in the face
the policy makers and so called experts remain
blind. When the need of the hour is rainwater harvesting
they are exploiting the water from the ground at
enormous cost. No one is taking about wastage of
public funds in useless projects running into billions.
This is acceptable so long as the money is squandered
by government or international donors. Graveyards
of successful failures are to be found all over
the world but is anyone asking questions? Is anyone
concerned? So long as the profits are made and
drinking water remains a distant dream many more
can profit in years to come.
Rainwater Harvesting is a peoples solutions and
all the grass root workers coming from all over
the world are talking about it in many forums where
they can speak. But all the doors are closed to
the people from making a contribution. They really
do not want them to speak or contribute. Anyone
with any innovative idea that changes or challenges
the drinking water for profit line is muzzled.
Water will be treated and looked at as a commodity
for sale by greedy people whatever you might want
to say on the contrary.
Many interesting ideas have seen the light of
day in Johannesburg. The need to start a movement
on the wisdom that lies with the people on applying
traditional knowledge and skills to solve drinking
water problems was launched by the International
Secretariat for Water based in Canada. The Multi
Stakeholders Forum endorsed the formation of a
Global Rainwater Harvesting Collective at the Implementation
Conference that focused only on Action that could
follow even after the Summit was over and forgotten.
The Gender Water Alliance demonstrated through
practical examples the crucial role of very ordinary
and gutsy rural women solving their problems of
drinking water.
Governments and business and international donors
have much to learn from these innovative ideas
coming out of an open dialogue where long term
partnerships agreed in the Side Events in the Summit
are already making a difference.
Its these human processes involving ordinary people
that will finally(if at all) makes this Summit
a success. Not the countless words and meaningless
Declarations that are being debated by delegates
to justify the billions of dollars wasted over
the Summit. I have been exposed to these Declarations
for 20 years. They have not benefitted the rural
poor. It's a crime and a shame that we are witness
to this farce.
