The water issue is thorny for the right wing in El Salvador: Interview with Lourdes Palacios
- Details
- Category: Mining and Human Rights
- Published: Friday, 23 January 2015 09:36
Gloria Silvia Orellana
Translated from: http://nuevaweb.diariocolatino.com/para-el-partido-arena-el-tema-del-agua-es-espinoso-diputada-lourdes-palacios/
The Environment Commission has had slow pace recognized Congresswoman Lourdes Palacios, fifth Secretary of the Legislative Assembly and member of the Environment and Climate Change Commission, a she evaluates the progress of the legislature that is about conclude.
"It has not been possible to advance discussion on issues that are critical to the Salvadoran population in areas such a as the General Water Law, Metal Mining, Solid Waste Management and Pesticides Convention. They touch many economic interests," she said.
- How is the discussion on the General Water Law progressing?
Unfortunately for ARENA to talk about water is a thorny issue. They always sought to privatize the resource, privatize services the National Water and Sewage Administration(ANDA) and let the market set the price of this resource, leave to the whims of supply and demand.
The National Roundtable against Metallic Mining and other social, religious, ecological and research organizations spoke out against the lack of interest observed in the mayoral candidates and candidates to the to the legislative a council to pass a law banning all mining activity and develop municipal ordinances declaring the free mining towns.
Several hundred anti-mining activists from mining affected communities in Cabañas arrived at the 
In 2004, the Pacific Rim mining company applied to dig for gold in El Salvador. Pacific Rim (since acquired by the Canadian-Australian company OceanaGold) assured the government of then-President Antonio Saca that its work would be eco-friendly and would generate jobs. But with 90 percent of the country’s surface water contaminated, and fearing damage to the Lempa River — an essential source of water for El Salvador’s 6 million people — the administration failed to approve the proposal. In 2008, Mr. Saca instituted a moratorium on new mining permits; to date, this has been maintained and is widely popular.
The municipality of San Isidro Labrador was declared free of mining after 98.74% of the registered voters who cast a ballot in a referendum held on Sunday November 23 said no mining.
Social organizations took to the streets of San Salvador to demand the adoption of a Law on Food Sovereignty and to ratify the constitutional reform to Article 69, to recognize the human rights to water and food.