Before heading to the World Social Forum in Mumbai, about one hundred activists attended the Peoples World Water Forum in New Delhi. The Forum was created in response to the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan (March 2003), which, some believe, failed to address the needs of developing countries without access to a basic water supply. People saw the need for an event to organise international action. Activists shared their own local and national experiences, particularly in relation to privatisation.
As well as privatisation the forum sought to draw up a strategy for future action in financing, dams, conversation and water mining.
Summing up:
- Water Mining
Formation of an international coalition against water mining
Call for transparent contracts
- Water Conversation
Importance of the use appropriate technology
Importance of the involvement of women and education of children
Support for economically viable approaches
Develop mechanisms for sharing and learning
- Dams
Support for WCD implementation
Importance of involvement all stakeholders in decision making
Support for renewable energy
Pursue intra-basin options first
- Privatisation/Financing
Further discussion needed to draw final conclusions but critical areas were:
Legal framework
Capital investment from a range of sources from taxing bottled water to microcredit schemes
Operation & Maintenance costs with tariff structures facilitating access for all including the very poorest
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