The government of Claudia Sheinbaum, through the National Water Commission (Conagua), rejected the proposals made in open forums by communities and citizens for the drafting of the new General Water Law, recently approved by the Congress of the Union, denounced social organizations in Oaxaca.
“We denounce the rushed process in which Conagua imposed an express approval of its legislative initiative, without public review and without changing a single point.”
In a statement, they reiterated that the new law of President Claudia Sheinbaum perpetuates the law of former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari with legislation that has no enforceable effects and fails to comply with the constitutional mandate to guarantee equity, sustainability, and citizen participation.
Organizations in Oaxaca that are part of the National Coordinator for Water for All proposed prohibiting the privatization of hydraulic works and water and sanitation systems, recognizing the water rights of Indigenous peoples, and requiring that Basin Councils include representation from Indigenous peoples, agrarian communities, researchers, and human rights defenders.
Among their proposals are also the criminalization of pollution, the revocation of water rights for industrial and service use for those who have not paid for their water rights, the protection of family farmers from the revocation of their rights when they have been unable to demonstrate water use for two years, and the recognition and protection of the country’s territories and aquifers due to their vulnerability to pollution and overexploitation.
“Despite numerous attempts to obstruct us, communities and citizens coordinated with legislators to organize 16 open parliament forums, as well as the presentation of more than 500 proposals based on public hearings covering the northern, central, and southern regions… The proposals generated were rejected by the National Water Commission (Conagua).”
The Oaxacan organizations pointed out that the new General Water Law contains no obligations or mechanisms to address water grabbing and overexploitation, nor to guarantee water for populations suffering from water scarcity.
Source: oaxaca.eluniversal
